Theater Thursday - Fall River Fishing

We were given complimentary tickets to Fall River Fishing for review purposes. Any and all opinions expressed here are our own.

What: Fall River Fishing

Where: Connelly Theater

             220 E. 4th St.

             New York, NY

Who: Recommended for Ages 16 and Up Due to Violence. Language and Subject Matter

When: Through March 9, 2023

Fall River Fishing is a darkly funny tongue-in-cheek look at the story of Lizzie Borden. Things definitely don't happen as we have been led to believe they did in this version of the story. There is plenty of stage blood and violence, however, so if that sort of thing bothers you or if you don't like the idea of comedy being made out of a real murder case no matter how dark the comedy, you are definitely going to want to skip this show. On the contrary, if you thrive on dark comedy and/or you love the idea of seeing the equivalent of a very gory horror movie murder scene performed right in front of you, you will love it.

Although the show is not billed as two separate one-act shows, the second act bears no resemblance to the first act. Both the characters and the story are completely different. The second revolves mostly around the story of Nora and Torvald, the main characters, in Ibsen's A Doll's House. Although it does have some similarities to that show, in most ways it is completely different. 

This act is not as dark as the first act although there are still some dark elements which include the ghost of Sharon Tate, who appears in her blood-stained nightgown, as one of the characters. It also definitely isn't as gory as the first one, however.

The acting is terrific in both halves of the show. The actors are so completely committed to everything they do whether it's eating pasta with their hands or murdering someone with an axe. Thus, no matter how bizarre things get, they make it all seem completely believable.  However, despite the fine acting, this is definitely a show that will not necessarily appeal to all tastes. 

And that's our view. For more about Fall River Fishing, go to bedlam.org/fall-river-fishing.

Tune in Saturday for Still More Theater Saturday.

Photo credits: 

All Fall River Fishing production photos by Ashley Garrett