The Blood Quilt

 The Blood Quilt
Lincoln Center Theater
at the Mitzi E. Newhouse
November 5, 2024

Photo courtesy of Lincoln Center Theater

Katori Hall’s new play, The Blood Quilt, tells the story of four sisters holding onto their heritage and treasured family traditions, while facing their dark truths.  The Lincoln Center Theater production is beautifully designed and skillfully presented.  Director Lileana Blain-Cruz gives this phenomenal cast of five the space and freedom to dive deep and deliver soulful performances.  They create honest family bonds that are filled with love, resentment, and acceptance.  The atmosphere is pure and genuine, grounded in family memories and ancestral history.

Four sisters come together in their family home in Kwemera Island off the coast of Georgia to sew one final quilt to honor the passing of their mother.  Clementine, the oldest (played by Crystal Dickinson), took care of their mother in her final days.  She longs to keep their quilting tradition alive.  Gio, the second daughter (played by Adrienne C. Moore), is brutally honest, drinks too much beer, and carries a dark secret.  Cassan (played by Susan Kelechi Watson) arrives with her teenage daughter, Zambia (played by Mirirai), who is all about putting her life on social media, and recently decided to be Muslim.  They are all surprised when their youngest sister, Amber (played by Lauren E. Banks), shows up for the quilting circle.  She is a successful entertainment lawyer in Los Angeles, and missed the funeral three weeks earlier.  Zambia always idolized her Auntie Amber, and is very happy to see her.  However, her presence sets Gio off, forcing Clementine and Cassan to play referee.  

The Cast of The Blood Quilt
Photo courtesy of Lincoln Center Theater

The stories of the family quilts are shared as the sisters start on their project.  Each quilt holds pieces of the people who worked on them, and they are all signed in blood.  When their mother’s will is read, old resentments rise to the surface.  On top of that, Clementine tells them that they owe over $250,000 in back taxes on the house and property.  As they try to solve that problem, Gio reveals her secret, which sets off a wave of honesty that could put a severe rift in their bond.

These five women are amazing in these roles.  Their characters are powerfully written and highly detailed.  Each has a backstory that makes them distinct against the family heritage that connects them.  Chrystal Dickinson is grounded as Clementine.  Adrienne C. Moore is fierce as Gio.  Susan Kelechi Watson portrays Cassan as steady and firm.  Lauren E. Bank’s Amber comes off as the successful, perfect daughter, then shows the crack that makes her human and flawed.  Mirirai plays the young Zambia as fearless and headstrong. 

The Blood Quilt is a poignant story, carefully crafted, and compassionately delivered.  It is playing at Lincoln Center’s Mitzie E. Newhouse Theater through December 29.  Don’t miss it!

Domenick Danza