Blood of the Lamb: A Thought-Provoking Thriller on Reproductive Rights

Dystopian authors like Octavia E. Butler and Margaret Atwood often avoid being labeled prophets. Their fiction appears prescient because they observe current or historical trends and envision their logical outcomes. Arlene Hutton’s play, Blood of the Lamb, is no exception. This compact thriller on reproductive rights makes its Chicago premiere with Promethean Theatre Ensemble, directed by Anna C. Bahow.

Hutton, an American playwright, calls her work speculative fiction. She completed the first draft months before the Supreme Court’s 2022 Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision, which overturned Roe v. Wade. Now, four years later, the play captures the bureaucratic chaos and legal limbo post-ruling.

In Blood of the Lamb, unseen male politicians sleep soundly, while two women face life-threatening consequences due to their decisions. The setting is a Beckettian airport conference room with harsh whites and grays, designed by Amy C. Gilman. The characters’ names are revealed later, emphasizing their representational roles. Nessa is a first-time mother facing a medical emergency, and Val is a middle-aged lawyer assigned to Nessa’s legal case regarding her deceased baby.

The premise seems plausible, drawing from the fetal personhood movement. Texas enacts a fictional statute granting citizenship to Nessa’s fetus. With abortion banned, it’s a felony for Nessa to leave Texas to terminate her nonviable pregnancy. If she does, she’ll be charged with corpse abuse, risking a deadly infection if she carries the pregnancy to term.

Promethean’s production uses alternating casts. Meghann Tabor plays Nessa, and Delia Ford is Val, while Heather Dennis and Kirsten D’Aurelio take the roles on other dates. Director Bahow notes the intentional randomness, which underscores that these women could be anyone.

While the anonymity adds a fable-like quality, it limits character development and emotional connection. We learn snippets about Nessa, but she’s a one-note character. Val appears as a conservative Texan with pious platitudes. However, glimpses of her professional life offer more depth, but more insights into both characters are desirable.

The play could benefit from a more dynamic structure and pacing. Initial tension builds well, as Nessa grapples with her circumstances. Yet, after the first reveal, fewer twists maintain the audience’s engagement. Val’s bureaucratic challenges emphasize absurdity but slow down the pacing. A later ambiguous plot development is intriguing but could have a stronger impact.

Despite some shortcomings, Blood of the Lamb remains a provocative work, timely in its exploration of gender dynamics in reproductive rights. Val serves as a middle-woman between powerful men and affected women. The play prompts contemplation of recent legal developments, such as Alabama’s Supreme Court ruling frozen embryos as children. Hutton may not be prophetic, but she keenly observes society.

Review by Emily McClanathan, freelance critic.

“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