The Red Letter Plays: In the Blood NYC Reviews and Tickets
Show-Score Member Reviews (103)
See it if outstanding performances from a seasoned cast. interesting staging- interesting concept to riff on the scarlet A- not usual wordsmith Parks
Don't see it if if you cannot sit for 2 hours without an intermission. if Suzan Lori Parks is not your taste
See it if you care about the world you live in and the people around you. This play will shatter your thinking of the less fortunate.
Don't see it if you object to strong language or live in an ideal world because this one is anything but. Be warned, it runs almost 2 hours without a break.
See it if Parks' Brechtian fable of welfare mother/outcast in society as trenchant as ever Strong ensemble w/Benson's fierce staging illuminates tale
Don't see it if Unrelenting misery/injustice hard to take but that's the point Adult actors as children/infants bit rocky Monologues somewhat heavyhanded
See it if watching a character being used, lied to, unable to escape from the grips of others seeking to profit off the situation
Don't see it if depicting the brutality of what the haves can do to the have nots can be disturbing
See it if you're looking for a socially relevant dramatic play. More serious tone than Fucking A, great acting/direction and interesting staging.
Don't see it if you're not in the mood for something bleak. It is a depressing look at a welfare mom. Adult actors playing kids can be off-putting at first
See it if You're interested in topical plays that, though written years ago, are still very relevant today.
Don't see it if Topics like homelessness & promiscuity are too rough for you to handle, no matter the larger message.
See it if you want to see a masterful depiction of life in the lower depths of modern society. Some vivid connections to The Scarlet Letter.
Don't see it if you have a problem with viewing negative plotlines and characters. Read more
See it if very moving & disturbing story of an unmarried mother of 5 living in poverty & exploited even by those whose job is to help
Don't see it if you don't want actors playing dual roles - adults & children; very disturbing end Read more
Critic Reviews (23)
"'In the Blood' grabs you by the throat from the moment it begins and does not let up for the next two hours...'In the Blood,' brilliantly helmed by director Sarah Benson, hits all of the marks and absolutely makes the case for why the Pulitzer Prize-winning Parks is considered to be one of our great contemporary playwrights. And if we are paying attention, we must understand that we are being asked to consider what role we can/should be playing in helping those who are society's cast-offs."
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"It is an unremittingly dark and hopeless tale and yet, there's something poetically gut-wrenching in its picture of a living hell...Hester's story turns into a harrowing Greek tragedy...While Hester's story remains downbeat and still proves its continuing reality courtesy of our large homeless population, 'In the Blood' is a stirring, highly recommended theatrical experience."
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“The play has lost none of its relevance or bite…Parks’ distinctive wit and rhetoric soar spectacularly…Becoming emotionally invested in the characters is effortless, which is why their circumstances become particularly heart-wrenching as the play goes on...Benson’s direction is a perfect vehicle for Parks’ work, as she is able to bring out the most calculating and vulnerable moments of her actors...A harrowing yet compelling production.”
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"A first-rate production...With great (if not always economic) precision and a seemingly hard-earned wisdom, Parks reminds us how judgmental and unfair society-at-large can be to anyone, but especially to poor, minority women...Part of Parks’ accomplishment is that she never idealizes Hester...In the end, we’re left to ponder: Is Hester’s tragedy her fault, the result of societal indifference, or mere inevitability? The blood goes to your head thinking about it."
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"Ms. Parks and her director, Sarah Benson, have drawn on a vast array of influences to create this captivating revival...Ms. Bioh stops the show cold when she transforms into Hester’s self-absorbed and wickedly perverse welfare lady...Only the usually great Frank Wood, who normally excels at neurotic villainy, has yet to find the proper vibe...Ms. Sengbloh’s finely measured performance reaches just the right bloody crescendo."
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"Sengbloh’s performance is pure American realism. Her Hester is as authentic a person as the homeless woman living on the street...What’s perhaps most uncomfortable and also admirable about 'In the Blood' is that you’re presented with a protagonist who society tells you not to sympathize with...However, the theatrical space gives you permission to think these thoughts while simultaneously presenting a parallel narrative, one that challenges notions of how society 'should' be run."
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“'In the Blood'…is the more successful of the pair…both as a script and in performance. Under the expert direction of the gifted Sarah Benson…it does a far better job of mingling realism and allegorical stylization to tell its tale than its partner. 'Fucking A' is also highly theatrical but its acting draws attention to itself and away from reality; the actors in 'In the Blood' never lose their sincerity… Dominating the ensemble is Sengbloh's touching, palpably suffering, turn.”
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"As Hester struggles to get by, she is betrayed by all the people who should be helping her...Unfortunately, the same actors must also play Hester’s children. Adults playing children is not a pretty sight...The entire play seemed more than a bit schematic. The lack of subtlety in the writing is emphasized by the metaphorical set design...The costumes by Montana Levi Blanco are imaginative."
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