Review: Blood of the Lamb

Dystopian authors like Octavia E. Butler and Margaret Atwood often avoid being labeled prophets. Their stories seem predictive because they analyze trends and predict their outcomes. Arlene Hutton’s play, Blood of the Lamb, a tense exploration of reproductive rights, follows this pattern. Now premiering in Chicago with Promethean Theatre Ensemble and directed by Anna C. Bahow, this play delves into bureaucratic chaos and legal gray areas concerning women’s reproductive freedoms.

Hutton, an American playwright, termed her work speculative fiction. She finished the first draft before the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, which overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022. Four years later, the play artfully reflects real-world developments. In this narrative, male politicians are absent from the turmoil while two women face life-threatening dilemmas due to these men’s decisions.

The setting is stark and reminiscent of Beckett’s works. It unfolds over a long night in a drab airport conference room, designed by Amy C. Gilman. The characters’ names are not initially revealed, implying that they could be any women. For clarity, let’s name them here: Nessa, a first-time pregnant woman, experiences an emergency on a flight from Los Angeles to New York, causing a diversion to Dallas. Val, a lawyer with five children, tackles Nessa’s complex legal case. The twist: Val represents Nessa’s unborn, deceased baby. In this fictional world, a new Texas law grants citizenship to Nessa’s fetus, now making it illegal for her to leave the state to terminate the nonviable pregnancy. Doing so would mean charges of corpse abuse, risking deadly infection if not addressed.

The performance features two alternating casts. At one viewing, Meghann Tabor portrayed Nessa and Delia Ford played Val; Heather Dennis and Kirsten D’Aurelio assume these roles on other nights. The director notes the randomness of the casting, pointing out that these women could be anyone among millions.

This anonymity brings mixed results. While it underscores a compelling narrative akin to a fable, it limits emotional depth and character development. Nessa’s story evokes sympathy, yet she remains one-dimensional. Val, initially a stereotypical Texan in conservative dress and mannerisms, slowly reveals a more nuanced character as a competent professional in a male-dominated environment. Further exploration of both characters would enhance the story.

The drama’s structure and pace could benefit from more tension and unexpected developments. Initially, the tension builds effectively as Nessa grapples with her situation, but after the main revelation, surprises dwindle. Val’s scenes involving bureaucratic hurdles demonstrate absurdity but slow the pacing. A later plot development introduces ambiguity, which might have more impact if pacing issues were resolved earlier.

Delia Ford and Meghann Tabor in ‘Blood of the Lamb’ by Promethean Theatre Ensemble. (Steven Townshend)

Blood of the Lamb may not fully realize its intriguing premise, yet it remains thought-provoking. Hutton examines gender dynamics in reproductive rights debates by casting Val as a middle-woman trapped between powerful men and affected women. The chaos Val faces parallels the repercussions of a recent Alabama Supreme Court decision that recognized frozen embryos as children, a ruling made after the play’s debut at the 2023 Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Like other speculative fiction authors, Hutton observes modern society keenly.

Written by Emily McClanathan, freelance critic.

Review: Blood of the Lamb (3 stars)
When: Through Oct. 3
Where: The Den Theatre, 1331 N. Milwaukee Ave.
Running time: 1 hour, 15 minutes
Tickets: $35 at 773-697-3830 and prometheantheatre.org.