Show response: One Man Ferryman
by Allyson Dwyer
It’s kind of funny, I saw The Ferryman on Broadway in 2019. During a break at work I walked over to the (Googles) Bernard B. Jacobs theater to buy three tickets so I could avoid the excessive ticketing processing fees that often deter me from considering Broadway, even Off-Broadway, in the first place. Even at our decided affordable price, my companions and I sat rear mezzanine, center of the row; it was winter time so of course we were boxed in by our coats, pushed together like reusable shopping bags in a forgotten cupboard. I sat rapt for some reason but if you quizzed me on The Ferryman RIGHT NOW I could not tell you anything except there was a live goose on stage.
Six years later, I’m sitting in a large comfortable, cushioned armchair at Brick Aux, front row. The show is One Man Ferryman, produced by No Exit Theater Collective and written, directed and performed by Bobby Malbrough. My cost of admission was two loaves of my family’s Irish soda bread. My reward, one of the best evenings of life & theater one could only dream of bartering their way into.
I had no expectations going in, but trust me when I say based on title this is not a single-joke gimmick. What begins as a one-person show that skewers Prestige Theater tropes soon devolves into: a Goose flying on a drone, Wilhelm-scream infused sound design, a cast of inanimate objects with googly eyes and voiced by Bobby with a pretty convincing brogue, a full Catholic mass to mourn the death of before-mentioned goose, a collective decision to order Chinese take-out, waiting for the food while watching Darby O’Gill and The Little People on VHS, communally eating said feast, sharing what our fortune cookies said, playing with a Ouija board, Bobby turning into Margaret Thatcher, and finally, destroying everything that has come before, literally.
I don’t think I’ve ever been surprised with dinner at a play. Broadway could never. At some point, the play had dissolved my expectations as I realized the story was happening to us, the audience; that our very presence was what propelled the play. The brilliance of Brick Aux’s space is that its limitations also become its greatest strengths. Bobby leaned into its homey environment, utilizing all three rooms AND it’s small backyard space. I felt this most when we “ordered” the take-out and proceeded to all sit and watch TV for a while, like tired family after Thanksgiving.
I hope none of these are spoilers, as I’m told this was a one-night performance. I’m so sorry to the world that missed it. For three and a half hours I had the best time with maybe 20 other people. I felt so compelled to write about and document it, because it was so special and exceptional. At the center was a very tireless performer & team who took the audience on a visceral, psychedelic journey, funny and moving in its care & consideration of the audience. Unlike other capital letter Plays, this is something I won’t forget. You can quiz me on it in six years.
One Man Ferryman played for one night only on November 16th at Brick Aux. All photos Allyson Dwyer.