My review of The Attic Ensemble’s latest production, “Blood and Oil,” was published today on The Jersey City Independent. I was super excited to review an original play because usually, the story’s construction itself is a little bit “off-limits,” with only production, direction, acting, etc., on the chopping block.
Tragedy, Mystery and the Occult in the Attic Ensemble’s Latest Play, ‘Blood and Oil’
Just about every scene of Blood and Oil will leave you asking “What the hell?” – and that’s not a bad thing.
The Attic Ensemble’s latest production, a new play written and directed by Billy Mitchell, made its world premiere Friday after about a year of development.
The show focuses on estranged fraternal twins Madeline (Hank Morris) and Allison Wickham (Erin Flanagan Lind). They reunite after their father Archie (Art Delo) dies in what is just the latest bizarre tragedy to hit their small hometown on the coast of Maine. It’s their 32nd birthday, which is also the 30th anniversary of their mother’s death.
The sisters follow through on a teenage pact to contact their mother with help from local psychic Miss Daja (Judith Moss). They visit her home in Vacationville Cottages, which is immortalized in the fictional painting series from which the play takes its name. Here, they discover that just about everyone in their little town is not whom they appear to be.
Read the full article from The Jersey City Independent.
“Blood and Oil” runs through Sunday, April 29 at The Barrow Mansion at 83 Wayne Street. Shows will be on Thursdays at 7 pm, Fridays and Saturdays at 8 pm and Sundays at 3 pm. Tickets are $20 and can be bought online or at the door. Not suitable for children. Content may be objectionable to some audiences.
