Sea Wall / A Life

Sea Wall / A Life

Hudson Theater

August 9, 2019

Photo courtesy of Sea Wall / A Life

SeaWall / A Life are two back to back one-act, one-character plays starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Tom Sturridge.  Sea Wall is written by Simon Stephens.  A Life is written by Nick Payne.  They are very different in style and structure, and when placed together, invoke the joy, wonder, pain, and solitude of the mystery of life.  These two playwrights craft characters that are exposed and vulnerable.  They openly admit their flaws and fears, while sharing the intimacies of their brightest and darkest moments.  Director Carrie Cracknell finds the uniqueness of each piece and juxtaposes them in a way that magnetically unifies them.

Sea Wall:  Alex (played by Tom Sturridge) shares the first impression he has of a close friend of his in Ireland.  He flows into telling of the meeting of his girlfriend, who later becomes his wife.  Together they travel to visit his friend’s home in the South of France  They swim and scuba dive, and engage in discussion of God and existence.  Alex and his wife have a daughter, Lucy, who brings love and completion to Alex’s heart.  They continue to visit the South of France, until events take a sudden and unexpected turn.   

Tom Sturridge
Photo courtesy of Sea Wall / A Life

Tom Sturridge is pensive and distracted as Alex.  He clumsily knocks things over, then waits to get his bearing.  He starts to get to the best part of his story, then retreats incapable of making words.  As the story unfolds, we understand the depth of this physical and emotional behavior.  He embodies this character in his core.  His performance is raw and moving.

A Life:  Abe (played by Jake Gyllenhaal) starts off telling of the awkward moment when his wife told him she was pregnant.  It takes him by surprise.  He then jumps to telling of the time his father woke him in the middle of the night because his arm was numb and tingling.  Being a teenager, Abe could not fully understand his father’s need for his company.  He jumps again to the time he brought his girlfriend, later to be his wife, to first meet his parents.  He jumps forward to telling of his father being taken to the hospital with heart failure.  Abe continually skips back and forth as his stories of losing his father gel with the birth of his daughter, meshing his feeling of joy and grief to such an extreme that they become one. 

Jake Gyllenhaal
Photo courtesy of Sea Wall / A Life

Jake Gyllenhaal is quirky and openhearted as Abe.  As the story jumps from moment to moment in a seemingly disjointed manner, we understand the thought process of his character.  He brilliantly juggles and blends the humor and intensity of the writing, creating honest moments of realization and discovery.

Sea All / A Life is playing at the Hudson Theatre for a limited time.  Jake Gyllenhaal and Tom Sturridge are magnificent.  You only have until September 29 to see these two outstanding performances of two skillfully written and moving plays.  Don’t miss it!  Get your tickets right away!

Domenick Danza