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eib_21's review against another edition
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death
finalgirlfall's review against another edition
3.0
i don’t understand why the banshees were there—they were serving a symbolic function, i think, but i can’t figure out what it was.
jess_0204's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
spikers's review
dark
emotional
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
durbeyfielde's review
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
ebunk's review against another edition
dark
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
andrew_russell's review against another edition
4.0
Some people like plays that are genre; thrillers packed with intrigue, crime imbued with violence and grit, murder mystery that makes you question motive and stimulates the mind. Others prefer plays that focus on what makes us human, with lyrical or poetic prose to boot. Acclaimed playwright Jez Butterworths' three-act play, The Ferryman has most, if not all of these attributes.
Set in rural Armagh, a region dubbed 'bandit country' by British forces, the play explores the long-term after-effects of the loss of a family member at the hands of the IRA. To be more specific, the family member in question was 'disappeared', i.e. quietly disposed of by the IRA. This was a tactic largely used to deal with suspected informers and borrowed from Pinochet's regime in Chile, in which over a thousand individuals were disappeared. Although it took place on a far smaller scale in Northern Ireland, the effect on victims families was no less devastating and it is this which forms the backbone of Butterworths' work.
The first act serves the same purpose as that which is usually employed in plays - to introduce the setting, characters, and themes. The distinguishing feature of this play is that Butterworth does it with a warm sense of humour and wit, engendering a real chemistry between the characters. You could almost think that you were reading an Irish variant of The Waltons, albeit with more colourful language and a more layered depth to individuals characteristics.
The second act is where things turn dark. And by that, I don't mean there is a blackout on stage. No, what I mean is that the characters learn that the body of the individual who has been disappeared (Seamus Carney) has been found and from there, everything else kind of spirals out, like a spiders web of hell.
In the final act, several turds clatter against the fan and in the last couple of pages, one huge clod of shit threatens to being the entire contraption, blades and all, down on everyone's head. We are left with the very real possibility that the Carney family haven't yet faced the worst of their ordeal. And that is saying something.
The Ferryman is a real stand-out play. After we feel the warmth and humour of the first act, it possesses a sizzling tension, representing the slow-burning fuse which when burnt out, will trigger a dramatic explosion. I'd love to see it on stage and almost as much, I'd love to produce it for the amateur drama group of which I'm a member. In any case, as a reading experience alone, it is thoroughly recommended.
Set in rural Armagh, a region dubbed 'bandit country' by British forces, the play explores the long-term after-effects of the loss of a family member at the hands of the IRA. To be more specific, the family member in question was 'disappeared', i.e. quietly disposed of by the IRA. This was a tactic largely used to deal with suspected informers and borrowed from Pinochet's regime in Chile, in which over a thousand individuals were disappeared. Although it took place on a far smaller scale in Northern Ireland, the effect on victims families was no less devastating and it is this which forms the backbone of Butterworths' work.
The first act serves the same purpose as that which is usually employed in plays - to introduce the setting, characters, and themes. The distinguishing feature of this play is that Butterworth does it with a warm sense of humour and wit, engendering a real chemistry between the characters. You could almost think that you were reading an Irish variant of The Waltons, albeit with more colourful language and a more layered depth to individuals characteristics.
The second act is where things turn dark. And by that, I don't mean there is a blackout on stage. No, what I mean is that the characters learn that the body of the individual who has been disappeared (Seamus Carney) has been found and from there, everything else kind of spirals out, like a spiders web of hell.
In the final act, several turds clatter against the fan and in the last couple of pages, one huge clod of shit threatens to being the entire contraption, blades and all, down on everyone's head. We are left with the very real possibility that the Carney family haven't yet faced the worst of their ordeal. And that is saying something.
The Ferryman is a real stand-out play. After we feel the warmth and humour of the first act, it possesses a sizzling tension, representing the slow-burning fuse which when burnt out, will trigger a dramatic explosion. I'd love to see it on stage and almost as much, I'd love to produce it for the amateur drama group of which I'm a member. In any case, as a reading experience alone, it is thoroughly recommended.