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

The Skin of Our Teeth

 The Skin of Our Teeth
Lincoln Center Theater
at the Vivian Beaumont
May 12, 2022 

Photo courtesy of Lincoln Center Theater

The Lincoln Center Theater production of Thornton Wilder’s The Skin of Our Teeth is big, bold, and brilliant.  Director Lileana Blain-Cruz shrewdly juxtaposes the character interpretations, keeping the tension, conflict, and humor building throughout.  The third act rings with truth and relevance, as the actor are costumed in Civil War era attire.  Additional material by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins allows the direct address comments by the character of Sabina to be relatable to today’s audience.  The cast of twenty-eight works together as a tight ensemble, bringing this 1942 Pulitzer Prize winning three-act play to dazzling life on the Vivian Beaumont stage.  

Act I opens on Sabina (played by Gabby Beans), the housekeeper to the Antrobus family, preparing for Mr. Antrobus (played by James Vincent Meredith) to return from work.  We meet Mrs. Antrobus (played by Roslyn Ruff) and their two children, Gladys (played by Paige Gilbert) and Henry (played by Julian Robertson).  They are the perfect family, except for the alarming secrets they keep very well hidden.  Their existence is threatened by the ice coming from the north, moving everything in its path, and leaving people frozen in their homes.  They reluctantly open their home to a group of refugees in need of shelter and warmth, who help keep the fire burning as the ice approaches.  The world as they know it about to end.  

Roslyn Ruff, Julian Robertson, Paige Gilbert,
& James Vincent Meredith
Photo courtesy of Lincoln Center Theater

Act II finds the Antrobus family in Atlantic City among mayhem and merriment, during the convention of the order of mammals.  Mr. Antrobus declares “Enjoy yourself!” as the message of the day, while a Fortune Teller (played by Priscilla Lopez) predicts destruction by a great storm.  As Mr. Antrobus breaks the news to Mrs. Antrobus that he is leaving her for Sabina, the rain begins.  Mrs. Antrobus allows Sabina to escape with the family on a huge boat with two of each animal species.  They are prepared to start over. 

Act III is dark.  The war has ended.  The Antrobus family and Sabina have survived.  Gladys has a baby.  Mr. Antrobus and Henry return from war in serious dispute.  It is time to rebuild, yet Mr. Antrobus is tired and disheartened.  It will take community effort to restore the safety of their home if mankind is to endure. 

Gabby Beans as Sabina
Photo courtesy of Lincoln Center Theater

From the minute the curtain goes up, Gabby Beans grabs the audience’s attention, and keeps them fully engaged and gleefully entertained for the full three hours.  Her Sabina is high energy and animated.  The tone of her direct address is distinctly different, setting up not only the humor in Mr. Wilder’s writing, but clarifying the device he employs throughout the play to punctuate his important messages.

James Vincent Meredith and Roslyn Ruff are strong and fearless as Mr. and Mrs. Antrobus.  They are fully in sync, especially when their characters are in dispute.  Ms. Ruff skillfully plays Mrs. Antrobus’ staunch determination with charm and appeal.  Mr. Meredith portrays Mr. Antrobus as a blustery, self-assured intellectual.  

Priscilla Lopez as The Fortune Teller
Photo courtesy of Lincoln Center Theater

Paige Gilbert and Julian Robertson are wonderful as Gladys and Henry Antrobus.  Their characters have a strong arc during Act I and Act II, and show tremendous growth and maturity in Act III.  Mr. Robertson delivers a heartbreaking moment in Act III that is truthful and genuine.  

Priscilla Lopez is mysterious, charismatic, and daring as the Fortune Teller.  Her character leads the narration in Act II, and Ms. Lopez skillfully brings the action to its well needed climax.

The Lincoln Center Theater production of The Skin of Our Teeth is running at the Vivian Beaumont Theater through May 29.  Don’t miss this production! 

Domenick Danza

Anatomy of a Suicide

Anatomy of a Suicide

Atlantic Theater Company

Linda Gross Theater

February 1, 2019

Photo courtesy of Atlantic Theater Company

Alice Birch’s Anatomy of a Suicide is an intense masterwork.  It examines the traumatic effects associated with the suicide of a loved one.  It is a compelling work that requires detailed timing and hyper awareness from every cast member.  There are three story lines taking place simultaneously.  Director Lileana Blain-Cruz guides the focus of the audience, maintaining a clear through line of action in this complex structure.  The Atlantic Theater Company intently brings all the elements together in this mesmerizing production.

The Full Company of "Anatomy of a Suicide"
Photo courtesy of Atlantic Theater Company

First, we meet Carol (played by Carla Gugino) who is being picked up at a hospital by her husband, John (played by Richard Topol).  We find out that Carol unsuccessfully attempted suicide.  While this scene is taking place, we meet Anna (played by Celeste Arias), who is trying to scam drugs from a friend who works in a hospital.  In the next set of overlapping scenes we meet Bonnie (played by Gabby Beans).  She is an emergency room nurse with a strong ability to disengage emotionally.  As we follow the stories of these three women, we gradually understand their relationship.  What unravels is an intimate comprehension of the trauma passed down through generations by a mother’s suicide.

Playwright Alice Birch
Photo courtesy of Alice Birch

Playwright Alice Birch creates curiosity in the beginning of the play by building a sense of mystery and suspense.  The timing of the revelation of facts to piece the story together is perfect.  Just as a question forms in your head, the answer unfolds, as well as a new question and the desire to know more.  This is how she pulls you into the brutally emotional reality of the characters.  With three story lines playing concurrently, you need to step back in order to focus and follow.  This creates an emotional distance.  It is through this distance that we are able to safely engage in the gravity of the events without being overwhelming by their intensity.  This is where director Lileana Blaine-Cruz’s skillful ability to keep the audience’s attention focused is most vital.  There are a number of dark moments, yet the sense of hope is always present in at least one element or character in each scene.

The cast of ten is truly phenomenal.  They dive deep into the souls of their characters, riding the rhythm of Ms. Birch’s dialogue and delivering one truthful moment after another.  Anatomy of a Suicide is playing at Atlantic Theater Company’s Linda Gross Theater through March 15.  It is brilliantly written, expertly directed, and skillfully performed.

Domenick Danza

The Death of the Last Black Man in the Whole Entire World

The Death of the Last Black Man in the Whole Entire World

Signature Theatre

The Pershing Square Signature Center

November 26, 2016

Photo courtesy of Signature Theatre

Suzan-Lori Parks’ The Death of the Last Black Man in the Whole Entire World aka The Negro Book of the Dead is presently playing at the Pershing Square Signature Center.  The production rings with rhythm and repetition that brings a visceral understanding to Ms. Parks’ intention.  The ensemble cast is ignited with passion and deliver vocally powerful performances.  Director Lileana Blain-Cruz masterfully blends images, form, and pacing that evoke emotion and a clear connection to Ms. Parks’ themes.

In Ms. Parks’ words, the play is “about a man and his wife, and the man is dying… It is like a funeral mass in a way… his wife is trying to find his final resting place.”  She says the play moves like “free jazz” music and correlates it with “poet’s theatre, slam poetry, hip-hop, like a poetry slam.” 

Photo courtesy fo Signature Theatre

Costume design by Montana Blanco and wig design my Cookie Jordan visually represent the dying man’s heritage, starting from the Pharaohs of Egypt and carrying it through the twentieth century.  These iconic visual images show a strength and connection that one person’s life exemplifies.  The cast of eleven phenomenal actors embody each of these symbols and fill them with life that supersedes their stylistic representation.  

Whether you are new to Suzan-Lori Parks work or an avid follower, this production will evoke an emotional response.  See it and allow it to envelop you.  The Death of the Last Black Man in the Whole Entire World aka The Negro Book of the Dead runs at Signature Theatre’s Pershing Square Signature Center through December 18.

  

Domenick Danza