Theater Thursday - Blood of the Lamb & Good Bones

We were given complimentary tickets to Blood of the Lamb for review purposes. Any and all opinions expressed here are our own.

What: Blood of the Lamb

Where: 59E59 Theatres

             59 E. 59 St.

             New York, NY

Who: Recommended for Ages 17 and Up

When: Through October 20, 2024

Blood of the Lamb is a cautionary tale about what can happen in a world where the lives of unborn children are valued above the lives of the women who give birth to them. Nessa is a pregnant woman who has a miscarriage causing a medical episode on an airplane leading the plane to make an emergency landing in Texas so she can get treatment. However, she finds herself in a small room not with a doctor but with a lawyer who has been assigned to protect the rights of the unborn child. Never mind, the fact that the child has already died and the health of the mother may be at risk. 

At one time, this may have seemed like a dystopian scenario unlikely ever to happen in real life. However, in a post-Roe v. Wade world scenarios like this have become a frighteningly distinct possibility.  This a show that can be scarily prescient. It is meant to shock, and it does. It is mean to anger, and it does that too.

Kelly McAndrew is terrific in the role of the lawyer, Val. She manages to make a character that can be considered the villain not completely hateful. Her actions are all business but her tone and facial expressions show that she is not as unaffected by Nessa's situation as she would like. She is a woman clearly caught between her duty to her job and her personal beliefs, and her empathy for Nessa and the impossible situation she has been placed in. Although it isn't explicitly stated in the play, there is likely something in Val's past that makes her relate to Nessa even more than she would like. 

Meredith Garretson is good as well in the role of Nessa. She is the perfect every woman placed in an impossible situation not of her own making.  We can easily picture ourselves in her place thrust into an inescapable stressful situation, but in this case, the stakes are heightened because her life could literally be in danger. 

This is hard show to watch, In fact, it may be especially triggering for anyone who has ever suffered a miscarriage, had an abortion, or is just very passionate about women's rights.  However, it is an important show with an important message that reminds us to be mindful of where this country is heading. Coming right before the election as it does only increases its relevancy. It reminds us to be careful who we vote for if we want a chance to make the world the kind of place we want to live in.

And that's our view. For more about Blood of the Lamb or to purchase tickets, visit 59e59.org/shows/show-detail/blood-of-the-lamb

XXX

We were given complimentary tickets to Good Bones for review purposes. Any and all opinions expressed here are our own.

What: Good Bones

Where: Public Theater

             425 Lafayette St.

             New York, NY

Who: Recommended for Ages 15 and Up

When: Through October 27, 2024

Good Bones is a show about gentrification. Aisha has no fond memories of her old neighborhood so when she has the chance to work on a project that will improve the neighborhood by bringing in a new community center, she jumps at it. However, not everyone views the neighborhood in the same way. For Earl, the contractor on the home Aisha and her husband are renovating, the neighborhood is home in the best sense of the word. He is wary of the fallout that will incur if Aisha's plan proceeds particularly the displacement of people in the area of the project.

This is another well-written play by James Ijames, a recent Pulitzer Prize winner for Fat Ham. It is extremely balanced and does not favor one side or the other or provide pat easy answers. It is quite thought-provoking and leaves the audience with something to think about that perhaps some of them had never really contemplated before, 

This is also a show about people connecting and not letting arbitrary things like class stand in the way of that. Yet, even in the show, an arbitrary line is drawn.  Aisha can invite Earl and his sister to dinner, but still can't fully contemplate how her dream project will affect people like them.

The cast is good overall, but Susan Kelechi Watson particularly shines in the role of Aisha, a woman clearly haunted by the scars of her upbringing. Her silent moment of reckoning at the end of the play is heartbreaking. Even without a word, she manages to portray volumes. 

The design crew really did a great job with this show. When you arrive at the theater and see the set all wrapped up in plastic and hear the sounds of construction gradually getting louder and louder as it gets nearer and nearer to curtain time, you are instantly transported to the world of the play. The revelation of the full set which happens later is breathtaking. Literal gasps could be heard in the audience. 

If you have been affected by gentrification or you find it triggering, you may want to skip this play, Otherwise, if you like a play that skillfully delves into important issues in a way that makes you think, you'll definitely want to see it.

And that's our view. For more about Good Bones or to purchase tickets, visit publictheater.org/productions/season/2425/good-bones

Tune in Saturday for Still More Theater Saturday.

Photo credits:

All Blood of the Lamb production photos by Daniel Rader

All Good Bones production photos by Carol Rosegg

Images used in this post have been sent to us from publicists, artists, and/or  PR firms and are used by permission. If there is a problem with the rights to any image,  contact us here, and we will look into the matter.