Posted: 2/12/19 at 5:58pm
Caught this last night. Sturridge is an absolutely fantastic actor, but his material leaves much more to be desired. Gyllenhaal is the star of the night, and you could tell the crowd also enjoyed him more. His material is also significantly better and much more enjoyable. Go see this if you can for Gyllenhaal alone!
Posted: 2/12/19 at 6:32pm
Posted: 2/12/19 at 8:10pm
Jordan Catalano said: "Are the two monologues at all related to each other?"
No, except for the fact that they both deal with the loss of a loved one.
Posted: 2/14/19 at 11:30pm
Jesse Greene liked it. NYT Critics Pick. I am going next month.
http://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/14/theater/sea-wall-a-life-review-jake-gyllenhaal-tom-sturridge.html
Posted: 2/15/19 at 2:03am
teatime2 said: "Jordan Catalano said: "Are the two monologues at all related to each other?"
No, except for the fact that they both deal with the loss of a loved one."
So the answer is yes, the are in fact related. Not in terms of character relationships, they don't exist in the same universe of anything. But both are thematically and narratively structured around dealing with birth and death.
Posted: 2/24/19 at 5:19pm
Posted: 2/24/19 at 6:05pm
Jordan Catalano said: "I saw this today and it absolutely gutted me. I thought both monologues were stellar however,
***SPOILER***
Jake’s monologue concerning his fathers illness and his eventual passing was almost like the playwright based it on my life and mixed in a little bit of what I just went through last year with my brother who passed. I wasn’t expecting it nor was I remotely prepared for that 45 minute flood of emotion. With anything Jake I try to go as many times as possible but this is something I couldn’t fathom sitting through again anytime soon. That’s not to say the play (both parts) isn’t excellent because it’s truly remarkable theater and I believe Jake is possibly doing the best acting he’s ever done - I just can’t put myself through it again yet. "
I am so sorry for your loss. I totally empathize with your experience. It felt like the playwright took every thought and emotion from me after losing my mom in 2017.
Posted: 3/1/19 at 8:04pm
I agree with you. The second monologue with Jake was so much better. But overall, it's not something I'd catch again. The writing didn't do it for me. Got a picture with Jake and Tom though. LOL
Posted: 3/5/19 at 10:55pm
Posted: 3/20/19 at 1:56am
Saw this on Saturday 3/16 at the matinee. Loved the intimacy of the performances and thought that both actors were amazing. First time sitting in the front row, and it was a nice/perfect view. A Life definitely left me feeling gutted, thanks to Jake's emotion and the subject matter. Stage door was peaceful and both Jake and Tom signed, spent some time talking, and allowed photos. Jake even said to everyone waiting, "You don't need to ask, I'll take photos with everyone."
