Jake Gyllenhaal and Tom Sturridge come to the Hudson Theatre on Broadway July 26th through September 29th.
Meet Alex, a photographer on a holiday with his family in the south of France. Meet Abe, a music producer with a baby on the way. Two men - both fathers, husbands, and sons - take us on a journey you will never forget.
The finest actors of their generation, Academy Award nominee Jake Gyllenhaal (Sunday In The Park With George) and Tony Award nominee Tom Sturridge (1984), had audiences roaring to their feet at the sold-out engagement at The Public Theater. Now Sea Wall/A Life, from the visionary creative team behind The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, Constellations and A Doll's House, comes to Broadway.
The two one act plays in the double bill entitled 'Sea Wall/A Life' are, on the surface, very small works. But they concern some very big themes: life, death, birth. Even so, the idea of a show featuring a pair of monologues on a mostly bare stage will likely turn some people off. Certainly true in lesser hands, but this is a beautifully intimate production featuring performances so sharply focused, anything more would be a distraction.
Both performances have become more focused and effective since the Off-Broadway run. Haunted and hurt, Sturridge gently relives a traumatizing experience as if participating in a group-therapy session. On the other hand, Gyllenhaal gets to have more fun and be far more energetic, at various points even running through the audience and playing bits of John Lennon's 'Imagine' on a piano. The lean production (directed by Carrie Cracknell, who has extensive London credits) hearkens back to the most basic elements of narrative storytelling and sharing of life experiences. And as in Greek tragedy, it produces a genuine sense of catharsis for audience members.
2019 | Broadway |
Original Broadway Production Broadway |
Year | Ceremony | Category | Nominee |
---|---|---|---|
2020 | Drama League Awards | Distinguished Performance Award | Tom Sturridge |
2020 | Drama League Awards | Distinguished Performance Award | Jake Gyllenhaal |
2020 | Drama League Awards | Outstanding Production of a Play | Sea Wall/A Life |
2020 | Tony Awards | Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play | Jake Gyllenhaal |
2020 | Tony Awards | Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play | Tom Sturridge |
2020 | Tony Awards | Best Play | Simon Stephens |
2020 | Tony Awards | Best Sound Design of a Play | Daniel Kluger |
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