Arts Runoff: BAD BLOOD

…And I’m not just talking about housing issues.

Summary: In 1840s Argentina, a spoiled but rebellious young woman (Cassidy Boyd) attempts to defy her father (Ben Orbison), a tyrant over the nation and his family. Bad Blood, though easy to follow is a complex allegory of Argentina’s 1970s military junta (READ THE PROGRAM NOTES!). Starts as a parlor drama and morphs into something much more forceful and sinister.

Good: Flawless costumes, set, lights, and sound. // Cassidy Boyd finally gets her perfect role. // Martina Bonolis’s face catches shadows like no other.

Bad: A bit slow to start. // Heavy on maniacal laughter.

Broad: The Midd Theater department always chooses daring scripts. Like J-term’s Lovesong of the Electric Bear, this play has almost never been performed in the US (or even in English).  Bad Blood is bold, not because of intricate staging or off-the-wall content, but because it demands so much focus of talented actors and designers—-a risk worth taking.

If you have something important to do this weekend, put it off and get a ticket to Bad Blood, in Seeler Thurs-Sat.

If you want to learn even more about the show, click here for an audio interview with Middlebury professor and Bad Blood director, Claudio Madeiros (right-click to download).

This rapid-fire review is part of MiddBlog’s ongoing effort to cover every performance in Middlebury’s spring season.