Type – Intimate Mystery, Lyrical & Poetic, Non-linear structure
If you liked – Constellations, The Weir, Stolen
The River: A mystery filled with intimate, slippery twists and turns that never really clarify
The River is a poetic and puzzle like work that examines themes of love, intimacy, memory and regret. The writing has very little plotline and intentionally leaves you with more questions than answers. Is it an ode to human desire and the comfort we feel from intimate connection? Is it an elegy on the human need for connection and intimacy? I still don’t know.
After great success with his piece Jerusalem, there was excitement around the staging of Jez Butterworth’s 2012 work The River. Despite a huge demand for seats, Butterworth premiered the work in the tiny 85-seater space, upstairs at The Royal Court Theatre to better suit the intimate feel of the work. In an attempt to bring new audiences to the theatre, tickets could only be purchased on the day of the show.
Butterworth went to great lengths to present the work like a blank canvas that audience members can project and relate their own experiences to. He wants audiences to receive the work without pre-conceived ideas or any factors that could influence opinions. He doesn’t name the characters apart from ‘the Man’, ‘the Woman’ and ‘the Other Woman’, and he even goes as far as saying he would prefer it (for the premiere) if the production provided no theatre programmes at all, so viewers could receive the piece in complete innocence.
Balancing love and passion with distrust underlies director Margaret Thanos’ vision which constantly straddles discomfort and uncertainty with relatability and connection. The production unfolds in uncomfortable territory, pulling the audience in different directions without ever really settling on one. The sense of detachment and ambiguity is strong throughout, regularly leaving us questioning whether we can trust what we’re seeing unfold.
Set in current day in an English fishing cabin, Anna Tregloan’s evocative set design crafts a dark and mysterious world tucked away in a heavy forest backdrop. Wooden scaffolding on two walls of the cabin creates an open set that allows us to see through the sparsely dressed structure to the endless forest behind. A shiny floor with water splashed on it reflects glistening, watery shapes that shimmer on the ceiling, while ribbons of hanging streamers catch the light and the breeze, enriching the atmospheric, often dreamlike state. Damien Cooper’s lighting constantly balances the cold and stormy outside world with the warmly lit indoors while weaving the water versus light elements through the design.
Sam Cheng’s sound design intensifies the tension and unresolve using jarring, discordant lower strings, playing around with their eerie harmonic overtones and injecting dramatic stormy soundscapes. Cheng’s scoring uses literal references and connections such as Maurice Ravel’s Gaspard de la nuit (which sets the darkly and vividly imagined world of Aloysius Bertrand’s Romantic prose poetry into a virtuosic pianistic landscape) and a William Yeats’ poem The song of Wandering Aengus (about the pursuit of an unattainable, magical, romantic love) is sung by cast members in a dreamlike sequence.
Ewen Leslie portrays ‘The Man’ who’s yearning for someone to make him feel the way he feels about fish. He doesn’t know what love is, yet he desires it deeply. And when he finally has it, he gets scared and pushes it away. Leslie maintains connection and humanity in delivering the poetically dense, somewhat preachy text while giving us enough likeability to balance out the British pomp and male ego. It’s fascinating to see his chemistry and tone transition when sharing the stage with the different women – particularly when they’re delivering the same piece of text.
Miranda Otto brings a compelling stillness to the role of ‘The Woman’. She shines in the uncomfortable silences loaded with unresolve while navigating the Man’s volatility and eccentricities with subtle caution. Every choice feels precise; while her desire for connection is palpable, there’s a sense of measured restraint she portrays – the type of self-guardedness you see from a woman who has been hurt before.
When talking about preparing for the work, Andrea Demetriades’ says “It’s so present this play, it’s actually scary; every time we get on stage something changes in the way we say or feel something. You get on stage and feel like anything can happen in this moment.” Demetriades’ portrayal of ‘The Other Woman’ brims with believability and a sense of unpredictability. Particularly in her monologues, she builds a richly colourful world, generously layered with vivid imagery that makes her character feel relatable and familiar.
There are moments when the text between Leslie and Demetriades is so lyrically dense and dramatic it detracts from the emotional tension and intensity that’s been building in front of us. Their refined artistry and intimate chemistry keeps it from falling into melodrama; Demetriades’ flirty, physical ease compliments Leslie’s moody and somewhat stiff persona beautifully.
Is THE RIVER Worth Seeing in SYDNEY?
I think much of the audience would be drawn to buy tickets to The River by the casting more so than the repertoire being performed. With a team of actors as star-studded as this, you could stage just about anything and audiences would attend – it would be great to see our much-loved and recognisable Aussie talent’s popularity as an opportunity to stage new and Australian works.
If you like your theatre to have a clear plot, you may find it difficult to connect to the piece. It’s a real ‘beauty is in the eye of the beholder’ work as it’s so open to interpretation that audiences can all come away from it with completely differing ideas on its’ meaning. If you love poetic, thought provoking, symbolic and mythical work, this production will fill your cup with exquisite, immersive, chemistry-rich performances from three brilliant, homegrown Australian actors.
Tickets and Practical Info for THE RIVER in SYDNEY 🎟️
Playing until May 16 2026 at the Drama Theatre, Sydney Opera House
Creative Team
Writer: Jez Butterworth
Director: Margaret Thanos
Designer: Anna Tregloan
Lighting Designer: Damien Cooper
Composer & Sound Designer: Sam Cheng
Assistant Director: Kenneth Moraleda
Intimacy Director: Chloë Dallimore AM
Voice & Text Director: Charmian Gradwell
Cast
The Man: Ewen Leslie
The Woman: Miranda Otto
The Other Woman: Andrea Demetriades
Check out our interview with Andrea about preparing for The River here: https://theatrethoughtsaus.online/andrea-demetriades-the-river-interview/
