James Dickey’s Deliverance, Godlight Theater Company’s world premier theatrical adaptation of Dickey's 1970 novel, Deliverance, is a theatrical tour de force that will grab you from the moment you step into the theater and keep you in its grip well past the final bow. It is a brave, cohesive and adventurous piece of theatre, the likes rarely seen in New York, and one not to be missed.

This story of four friends who embark on a three-day canoe trip down a dangerous river in backwoods Georgia, may be familiar from the 1972 cult classic film by the same name but playwright, Sean Tyler’s stage adaptation draws directly from Dickey’s deeply unsettling novel and avoids any cliché references that the film has deposited upon pop culture. His approach is simultaneously brutal and subtle, full of naked emotion and honest humanity. He expertly highlights the characters' intricate relationships, and tragic flaws while challenging the audience to become emotional participants in their journey. Adding to the dramatic tension and palpable urgency is the unusual intimacy of the 59E59 theater where audience members sit in the round, mere inches from the action.

The stellar ensemble cast operates as a team stronger than any I’ve previously seen on-stage. Under the expert direction of Joe Tantalo and fight choreographer Rick Sordelet, they transform a bare stage and a few costume pieces into at deadly Georgia river gorge complete with rapids, a sheer cliff wall and the most terrifying woods known to man. It is the cast’s extraordinary focus, commitment and bravery that accomplish so much with so little. That’s not to say that the production is in any way lacking in physical elements, it quite simply doesn’t need them. The expertise brought to the stage by every member of the company is all that this astonishing and disturbing production requires to suspend disbelief and take viewers on the journey of a lifetime.

James Dickey’s Deliverance plays 59E59th Street Theaters thru November 9th. It features Eddie Dunn, Bryce Hodgson, Gregory Konow, Nick Paglino, Jason Bragg Stanley, Sean Tant, and Jarrod Zayas with direction by Joe Tantalo, fight choreography by Rick Sordelet, set and light design by Maruti Evans, sound design by Ien DeNio, costumes by Orli Nativ and original music by Bryce Hodgson and Danny Blackburn. For tickets visit www.59E59.org