Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
Arts & Entertainment
Opinionist: Jack Goes Boating
By
John Del Signore
Published Mar 18, 2007
Modified Mar 7, 2008
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
John Del Signore
Published Mar 18, 2007
Modified Mar 7, 2008
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
In Jack Goes Boating, the four character romantic comedy by Bob Glaudini, Philip Seymour Hoffman fills the title role, a simple-minded burnout with nascent dreadlocks and a heart of gold who gets his first date in years thanks to Clyde (John Ortiz), his buddy and fellow limo driver. The lucky lady in question, Connie (Beth Cole), is the friend and co-worker of Clyde’s live-in girlfriend Lucy (Daphne Rubin-Vega). She’s also the perfect match for Jack, for she’s just as romantically awkward and insecure as her reggae-loving suitor.
In a conventional romantic comedy, you can count on some formidable obstacles to stand in the way of the lovers’ courtship. But Jack Goes Boating is remarkably unconventional in its lack of crossed stars: the story amounts to "stoner boy meets girl and gets her with pretty much no problemo". Sure, things happen in the play, (Connie is assaulted on the subway, Clyde stresses over Lucy’s pattern of infidelity) but nothing to threaten the new lovers’ budding bliss.
When Jack learns that no man has ever cooked for Connie, he vows to be her culinary hero, despite the fact that he can't cook and lives in his uncle’s basement with just a hot plate. The play’s central “crisis” unfolds during his dinner party at Clyde and Lucy’s apartment – a scene that’s as amusing as it is predictable. Though there’s a lot riding on this dinner in Jack’s anxious mind, it’s clear to everyone involved, especially the audience, that Connie is already smitten. Dinner, of course, is ruined, but Jack learns a powerful lesson: nothing can stop true love, not even a charred casserole.
That Jack Goes Boating manages to stay afloat at all is mainly due to the water-bailing talents of Hoffman and Ortiz. Hoffman has always been one of those actors I would gladly watch reciting the phone book; he’s as engaging as ever here. And because his history with the rest of the cast – all members of the Labyrinth Theater Company – goes way back, there’s a pleasant camaraderie in this ensemble that, in the play’s best scenes, plugs the hole where the plot should be.
Near the beginning of Jack Goes Boating, Jack and Connie make a deal to paddle around a lake once summer comes. (Since Jack doesn’t know how to swim, he begins taking lessons from Clyde – the result is a series of pointless pool scenes that are the narrative equivalent of treading water in the shallow end.) In a final coda, Jack finally has his titular boating date with Connie; it’s just too bad that the play itself stays tethered to the dock. Mercifully, there are enough laughs in this two-hour tour with Hoffman & Co. to keep it from capsizing.
Jack Goes Boating continues through April 29th at the Public Theater [425 Lafayette St]. Tickets cost $65. (Photo by Monique Carboni.)
Tagged
comedy
history
Lafayette St
love
Monique Carboni
philip seymour hoffman
public theater
subway
theater
tickets
John Del Signore
Originally from the Albany area, John Del Signore has called NYC home since 1995. In addition to his thousands of meticulously-crafted bespoke blog posts for Gothamist, his writing has also been published in The Awl, Deadspin, The Nervous Breakdown, and performed at The Brick Theater in Brooklyn.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE arts-entertainment
Will Barnes and Noble in the East Village spell doom for smaller shops? It's complicated.
Independent booksellers are grappling with whether the big-box chain is a threat or an ally in the fight against Amazon.
By
Sonia Rao
Published Oct 16, 2026 at 12:55 p.m. ET
Can eligible NYC singles find love with 30 minutes and some really spicy food?
We went to the Spiciest Supper Club singles night to take the temperature of New York City's dating scene.
By
Elizabeth Shwe
and
James Ramsay
Arts & Entertainment
Can eligible NYC singles find love with 30 minutes and some really spicy food?
We went to the Spiciest Supper Club singles night to take the temperature of New York City's dating scene.
By
Elizabeth Shwe
and
James Ramsay
How the NYC Marathon has changed in the last 50 years
By
Hannah Frishberg
A visit to Art of Play, the Brooklyn store in an animatronic bird beef with Kelly Clarkson
By
Sonia Rao
The hottest way to show you're an authentic New Yorker is… riding a Citi Bike?
By
Lindsay Lee Wallace
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .