The Packer

A fine actor with great material to work with and whose raps make you wish he held a concert after the show!... full review

An outstanding performance. Can't take your eyes off of this talented actor...a rising star. A little hard to follow because of the accents on the characters. The material is very good but the actor is amazing! Definately in my top three so far.... full review

Superbly performed, this actor is amazing. However, every character save one (the protagonist) was portrayed as a total stereotype. The women were like drag queens. (I actually thought the protagonist's "mother" was a drag queen until I realized the actor was portraying a woman.) The people of color were cartoonish. I surrendered to it b/c the acting, text, blocking, and design were so good. I'm just disappointed that human beings were portrayed as caricatures when the actor is clearly capable of so much more.... full review

I'm not going to lie - I had no idea what New Zealander Jay Ryan was saying half the time - which didn't matter because his characterizations are precise and cleverly distinct. This funny and dark one-man show, written by Dianna Fuemana, takes us into a seedy lifestyle of drugs, prostitutes, alcoholic mothers and philandering fathers. There's no real story line or even character arcs, rather The Packer is more of a collection of characters - all of whom stay the same. Which is fine because Ryan makes each one thoroughly entertaining. Well directed by Jeremy Lindsay Taylor, the scenes flow allowing for quick succession of character changes. Anyone who is doing or wants to do a one-person show, see Jay Ryan in The Packer. His caliber of ac... full review

Knowing many Kiwis and having family from New Zealand. I found the Packer delightfully to close to home. A truly wonderful journey through everday life. The Packer is a superbly crafted script that is delivered exceptionally well in all it's forms by Jay. The direction is sharp and deliberate, brilliantly clever and precise.... full review

Excellent performance in an entertaining show that warrants the accolades from its previous gigs.... full review

Not going to lie, I brought my Kiwi friend to the show with me and had to have him translate a bit of the action and language from this play for me. At times, even he could not decipher what the characters were saying, but patience pays off for a chance to see a truly original and energetic look at the twisted life in rural Henderson, New Zealand. Jay Ryan is a powerful performer, with lightning fast dexterity and equal parts feminine/masculine instinct, which is important as he plays more than 7 different characters, from Australian immigrant mum to angry tranny to the intensely fucked-up Brad. Throughout the show, I kept imagining Ryan as a child, stepping into his mother's high heals and playing make believe for hours, now all grown up... full review

One man show. Many characters. Very well defined, specific, physical, hilarious characters. I always knew who was talking. Although I couldn't always understand what they were saying. An insight into the diversity of New Zealand. Something I personally know nothing about so it was interesting to witness the differing people & cultural situations one would run into there. I can only imagine what it would all mean to a Kiwi. Extremely impressive performance by the one & only actor. An amazing ability to jump from character to character, not only physically, vocally & emotionally but you could even see his eyes shift as the character did. Simple tech (lights, music & media) that defined characters & punctuated beats. Well directed. ... full review

A very rough piece that left me with more questions at the end than I had at the beginning. Unlike other stories involving a solo actor playing many different characters (such as Back to Babylon, T-O-T-A-L-L-Y, Brownsville Bred), there did not seem to be the type of story line to draw the characters together and it was hard to keep up with them. Unfortunately, I was bored halfway through the piece and did not find any relief in the outcome. This was my least favorite performance (similar to my view of Eco-Friendly Jihad).... full review