Waverly Gallery or The Ferryman?

couldn't answer that question, but more people seem divided on Ferryman. I've heard fabulous things about Waverly - but sadly, haven't seen either, and not sure I'll be able to fit either them in....SO many plays I have on my list.

Conceivably, both could win the Tony, The Waverly Gallery for revival, and The Ferryman for new play. In my opinion, they're both must-sees, but Waverly made a bigger emotional impact on me, mainly because of Elaine May's astounding perfomance.

Mike Barrett said: "Both are honestly great choices. The Ferryman is very unique because of the scale of the show itself, while The Waverly Gallery is more centered around a character and a very good and well performered character at that. I perosnally don't think you could go wrong with either! The Ferryman will be around until July however while Waverly Gallery will not, so that may be more of a priority."

This was how I prioritized which one to see first as I know Waverly is going away soon. I plan to see both.

If you think you will be back in time to see Ferryman, see Wavily. If not, see Ferryman. It is an incredible production and should not be missed by any serious theatre goer. The accents were not a problem from, and I usually struggle with them.

I would expect the Tony award battle for new play to be between Ferryman and Mockingbird. Overall I think that Ferryman got slightly better reviews, but both were very well reviewed, and I can't imagine that anything that still to open will receive their acclaim. Mockingbird would probably benefit from the fact that it is monster hit AND the book is part of the American Zeitgeist (which is why the play is such a hit...the novel has had an incredible emotional impact on generations of readers; the play may be great -- I don't see it until May -- but a drama selling out week after week in the large Shubert theatre is attributable to more than great reviews; even every preview performance was sold out).

Re Waverly, I really enjoyed it and it will certainly be a good candidate for Best Revival. We still need to see what everyone thinks of King Lear, All My Children and Burn This.

Thanks everyone for your help. There's a lot of info to digest here!

Having seen both recently, I would vote for The Ferryman. I really enjoyed much of The Waverly Gallery, but the play had these long transitions where you would be staring at a brick wall for a full minute, which really interrupted the flow of the play. I appreciated the performances and the writing, but those scene changes really just threw a wrench in the storytelling. This may seem like a minor thing to quibble over, but it really did impact my ability to emotionally connect to the show when I was yanked out of it every 5-10 minutes or so. The Ferryman was expertly directed, written, performed, and designed. Additionally, the scale of the play (21 actors plus a few animals) means that it won't be programmed by very many regional companies in the future. For me, The Waverly Gallery was good, but The Ferryman was thrilling.

Do you mean the final performance for the British cast will be Feb 17th? new cast will start 19th? Thanks for any information on this

jast said: "Wick3 said: "I didnt realize Waverly was a revival! Then yes I think both plays have a good shot in their respective categories.
Just a note that Ferryman has extended to July but keep in mind the British/Irish cast is leaving Feb 17th and being replaced by mostly an American cast.
Waverley Gallery is easier to understand given the setting is in NYC and all of the characters speak with an American accent.
The Ferryman is set in Northern Ireland and though I was able to generally understand what they were saying I can see how it may be harder for others (especially those unfamiliar with the accent.)
Waverly is closing soon though (end of this month) so perhaps make that a priority for this trip."

Do you mean the final performance for the British cast will be Feb 17th? new cast will start 19th? Thanks for any information on this"

Yes.

https://www.broadwayworld.com/article/BREAKING-Brian-dArcy-James-Will-Lead-New-Cast-of-THE-FERRYMAN-Beginning-February-19-20190108

Saw them both last weekend.

You cant go wrong with either one.

If I had to pick one to see right now, it would be WAVERLY, because Elaine May is fabulous and its closing soon. I think FERRYMAN will run for quite a while.

To the comments made here -- I agree that the intervals (to move the sets around) in Waverly were annoying at the time, but I forgot them by the next morning, and the performances stayed. The accents were very difficult in Ferryman -- they should hand out copies of the play on the way out so you can stay up late and read everything you missed live. (Amazon delivered mine yesterday....)

Waverly stays with me with several ;'messages' and 'meanings'. Ferryman stays with me as a marvelous tale, told beautifully.

You really cant make a bad choice here