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 Spellbinding, dramatic, and witty; worth a watch.

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My Blood, written by Leelou Lapteva, is about the inner drama of a well-off banking family that has survived, even prospered from, the 2008 financial crash. They are grieving the loss of the youngest daughter, and deal with more challenges throughout the 90-minute play. 

The set for the play was clearly well thought out, and while the dining room set felt like it bordered on being disproportionately big for the space it seemed to suit the aura of the large and wealthy family’s domineering presence. There were later points of the show where the space was used excellently; two scenes occurred in tandem with each other, with lighting and actors freezing in place to help the audience focus as needed. At no point during these tandem scenes did the stage feel crowded.

Both Catty Williams-Boyle, who plays Eve Johnson, and George Loynes, who plays Oliver Atreides speak to the audience at various points in the play. Both were incredibly powerful in their respective roles and purposes, and both made effective eye contact with members of the audience which added to the authenticity of the emotions and attitude being portrayed. Williams-Boyle and Loynes both played characters who had several complex layers, and as they were peeled back the commitment that they showed to the roles became more and more apparent. 

Williams-Boyle was consistently strong in her portrayal of Eve throughout the entirety of the performance. Most others picked up as the play went on. While everyone’s American accent appeared to slip momentarily at one point or other, which they can be forgiven for, none of the performers can be faulted on their dedication to their characters – with fierce screams, from Kelsey DeJesus, and forcible slams of one’s own head against the stage, from Loynes, these performers should be proud of their spellbinding presence on stage. 

The only point at which I felt thrown from the story was using the word “cringe” in the second scene of the show. This felt anachronistic to the period that the play was set in, whether it technically is or not isn’t the point – it felt jarring to hear, and it took awhile to get back into the story.

Costumes were excellent and felt appropriate for each character. Seeping red into Williams-Boyle’s costume was ingenious, as was her use of apples. 

My Blood isn’t perfect, but manages to effectively convey a lot of information, two twists within the occult plotline, and incredibly complex interpersonal dynamics in a way that felt natural. There are some truly funny lines thrown in as well, for good measure.

The bookends of the play are a conversation in the Atreides graveyard between Phoebe Winter’s Chloe Atreides and Williams-Boyle’s Eve. The conversations are clever; allowing the audience to see the depth of the shift in Eve’s demeaner, and the effect of power on Chloe. This poetic end is hit home with the final line, that the audience heard from the other actor at the beginning of the play – “Do you believe in Judgement Day?”