Theatre Development Fund – TDF: W.C. Fields famously quipped that actors should "never work with children or animals." Yet Justin Edwards is doing both in his Broadway debut in The Ferryman. Jez Butterworth's breathtaking, three-hour-plus epic focuses on an incredibly eventful day for the Carneys, an Irish farming family grappling with loss, love and political turmoil in 1981.
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I have heard so many positive things about the newly debuted play The Ferryman, and this just adds even more of my awe to the mix. You hear terrible things about animal actors, and it's always risky using them in live theater, which is why shows normally won't use them if they have to. So the fact that this show makes it a priority to use live animals, makes it even more realistic to the audience. I think it also fits in with the rest of the show, and how its forcing the creation of this show to be difficult. The use of an infant on stage and other live animals (other than a dog) like geese and rabbits shows the commitment to making the Ferryman as authentic as possible. I would also like to give a shout out to Justin Edwards for being a calm and collected actor, because if I had to work with live animals on stage I would be a nervous wreck. Animals can be predictable, but they can also be incredibly unpredictable, even when they are trained. To go out with an optimism, and to create a bond with these animals just as you would with a human co-star...I have to give him a lot of credit. For his character, these animals, perhaps more so than to other characters, are incredibly important for the realism of his storyline, and they help give him a purpose. When realism is the central focus of the storyline, certain elements like this may seem extreme, but they are necessary.
This production sounds wonderful. I love their dedication to the script and the details it requires. Like the article says, a lot of productions might shy away from components like animals and actual infants on stage, so it’s exciting to see this company take on that extra financial and logistical weight to advance the quality of the show. As an audience member, seeing these things would seriously impress me; seriously, you’d have to be seriously dedicated to put talent that could bite, cry, or poop during a live show on stage. Additionally, I admire the actor playing Tom Kettle for making sure to fully understand the implications of the character he’s playing’s life. I appreciate that he is taking the time to depict the character truthfully and in a way that may enlighten the audience. This show is refreshing in its attention to realism, and I would very much enjoy being able to see it.
Ever since the first article about this show was posted I have read every article I can find about this show. This show is one that I want to see more than any other show in New York right now. And this article just confirmed that for me. The fact that they take into account every single little detail is incredible, the mention it in the article but I really do think having a live goose and a real working stove are the little details that give the show the realism it needs in telling a story of family and real people and love and the actual historical events. I respect Tom Kettle so much for making sure to point out that he can work with animals and children because it helps the show and he seems to have learned so much from it and enjoyed it. I also respect him immensely for understanding the nuances in his character and how he is working to make sure he plays him honestly and not offensively. I think for any actor playing a character with a learning disability making sure to find the truthfulness in the character and not giving into the stereotypes is a very important consideration and I am very glad he is taking the time to think about it.
I think that the show this article describes is incredibly interesting. Often, I hear that it does not matter if the props on stage are real or not because the audience is so far away that the detail does not matter as much. This play, however, takes the opposite approach. Because the director wanted the show to be as realistic as possible and to look like “real life unfolding in front of the audience’s eyes,” the detail of the props and the animals are incredibly important. I think the creative team did a really thorough and impressive job of making the action as realistic as possible. There are many times when directors and designers do not care how realistic a show seems, or when the directors and designers are making a statement by making it obvious that a production is not real life and I have not really seen shows that are specifically meant to be just like real life. I think this is a fascinating way of putting on a production and I would love to see more shows with this attention to detail.
This article was not what I was expecting from the title but it was still a lovely insight into the play. When the article mentioned that it was a 3 hour long experience I was curious to learn how audiences sat through it all. The article answers that question with its description of the attention to detail the production has. The article is right when it says many people shy away from including elements like real food and animals in a piece, but what makes this play so interesting is the fact that they have it all. As an audience member I would love to watch these live elements and be in awe of how well they work out or even be excited by a moment that might go awry. It was also nice to hear about how that detail also transfers over to the actors themselves. Not only the fact that they have actual infants, but that the actors really took the time to get to know their characters.
It’s exciting that The Ferryman has so many aspects, both in the script and in this production, to it. I love that the cast and crew were willing to lean into the challenges of kids and animals. I know that this is mainly about the direction and acting, but I’m curious about the costs of adding animals to the production. Additionally, I’m curious to know how adding both animals and infants effects the rehearsal room. I assume that there were additional rules and protocol to make sure that both the children and animals were properly accommodated for. I’d also like more information about how audiences react differently to the play in London versus in New York. I feel that since there are so many elements to this show, it could be interpreted differently based on the culture that is receiving it. Though I have more questions after reading the article, I enjoyed reading about The Ferryman and would love to read or see the play.
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