Review: BLOOD OF THE LAMB Brings Rave Reviews to B St. Theatre

There are few issues as polarizing as that of women’s reproductive rights in the United States. In the wake of the June 2022 overturning of Roe v. Wade, several states have enacted laws making abortion illegal, while many others have bans in place or are currently considering them. This is the crux at the heart of Arlene Hutton’s mesmerizing new play, Blood of the Lamb. It’s been performed to rave reviews in Scotland, Australia, and Alaska, and will be at the B St. Theatre for a limited engagement before opening Off-Broadway this fall.

Blood of the Lamb serves as a cautionary tale of what can happen when we allow the government too much control. Hutton weaves a compelling story of faith, law, and medicine, told through the lens of two women who struggle to find common ground. Nessa is a woman who suddenly finds herself in a stark room with very little memory of how she got there. She mistakenly assumes that Val, the only other person in the room, is a doctor. As she begins asking Val questions, snippets of her memory return. She remembers being on a flight and collapsing. She remembers the emergency room doctors telling her that her unborn baby is dead. She remembers that her flight was diverted from a safe state. She tells Val that she needs to get back to California to see her doctor, which prompts Val to pay attention to Nessa for the first time and tell her that she is an attorney for the state of Texas and she is representing Nessa’s baby. Nessa, in shock, replies, “My baby is dead.” As it turns out, corpses have more rights in Texas than mothers-to-be do. The next hour is spent in a state of frustration for both women as Val fights for guidance from her male counterparts in this precedent-setting situation, and Nessa tries to find common ground with Val in order to get home. It feels much like a kidnapping victim humanizing themselves to their abductor in a fight for survival – because it is. A legal kidnapping. In that small room in Texas that seems like an alternate universe, both women try to come to terms with their new realities.

Director Lyndsay Burch sensitively delves into this divisive topic and guides this production effectively to a surprise conclusion. A B St. favorite, Elisabeth Nunziato, is perfectly cast as Val. She’s no-nonsense and trying to forge ahead in a male-dominated community, but also remembers what it’s like to be vulnerable. Her subtle gestures are so well done that, even though she’s on the wrong side of this case, she elicits empathy for her own challenges. Dana Brooke is also fantastic as Nessa. We share in her confusion as she wrestles to understand why the state is forcing her to risk her life to keep a dead fetus inside of her. She brings us on her journey of panic, resignation, pleading, and hope. It’s such a roller coaster of emotions and seems quite farfetched, until you do a little digging. While Texas does have exceptions in place to accommodate health risks to the mother, several women have come forward to share their life-threatening pregnancy complications that were denied medical intervention due to the ambiguity of the laws. No matter your views on abortion, I think we can all agree that ensuring a mother’s health deserves attention. Blood of the Lamb is riveting theatre that forces you to think and confront some uncomfortable ideas – putting it squarely into the camp of great art.

Blood of the Lamb plays at the B St. Theatre through August 4th. Tickets may be purchased online at BStreetTheatre.org, at the Box Office at 2700 Capitol Avenue, or by telephone at (916) 443-5300.

Photo credit: B St. Theatre

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