[2015010] Blood at The Root
Penn State Centre Stage @ Holden Street Theatres – The Studio
9:00pm, Thu 12 Feb 2015
Martha Lott’s Holden Street Theatres has managed to bring some hard-hitting theatre to Adelaide over the years (think Bitch Boxer, Fleeto, or Bound), and 2015 was no exception; the pre-season buzz around Blood at The Root gave the impression that this would be one of the gutsier productions this season.
And, in an era where systemic racism in America is becoming more widely recognised, Blood at The Root certainly delivers a topical punch: a high-school fight leads to six black teenagers being charged with attempted murder of a white student, with escalating tensions in the school (and the home of one of the accused) forming the basis of the performance. The cast of six really deliver the goods: Stori Ayers dominates the stage as sister of one of the accused, Kenzie Ross grounds the play in the south, Brandon Carter has an memorably explosive moment as editor of the school newspaper, and Christian Thompson straddles righteous guilt with aplomb.
Though largely predictable in its narrative (with the concession that I follow a lot of politically-progressive reporting from the US), Blood at The Root rattles along at a fair pace, rarely getting bogged down or failing to engage. But there’s two moments that are particularly memorable, when the ensemble forms a mob and sweeps the audience up in their emotions: the “we will not be moved” segment, and the “Free the Cedar Six” chant. These two scenes evoked that bitter why-is-society-fucked? response in me… not necessarily a joyous response, but certainly one that is respected.
Blood at The Root proved to be solid, emotional theatre, and a worthy winner of Holden Street’s Edinburgh Award. Strong performances, polished direction, and potent themes made this an easy recommendation to the theatrically – and politically – astute.
(10) Blood at The Root: Stunning scenes in polished production; racism/sexuality juxtaposition with political overtones. #ff2015 #ADLfringe
— Pete Muller (@festivalfreakAU) February 12, 2015