Chicago Tribune - Recommended
"..."An Issue of Blood" is an engaging, distinctive and committed work. Honest conversations about class in America are much rarer these days, even than conversations about race, a defect Gardley yet might further correct. Already, though, this fine writer offers a rare look at a moment when a country not yet a country might have gone in another direction. America could have valued its hardest workers and greatest talents and begun independence on a note of inclusion, rather than making indented servitude a state that, for some, was something devoutly to be wished, being as it came with an end."
Chicago Reader - Recommended
"...For all the urgency suggested by Gardley's comments, An Issue of Blood isn't set in the present and doesn't deal directly with Ferguson or Garner or Martin. It doesn't even take place in the United States, per se, but sends us back more than three centuries to Bacon's Rebellion, which roiled the crown colony of Virginia for a few months in 1676. Led by Nathaniel Bacon, a wealthy English merchant's wayward son, the rebellion pitted various kinds of outsiders against a corrupt landed elite personified by Governor Berkeley, he of the "press'd Bowills.""
Time Out Chicago - Somewhat Recommended
"...Where Gardley and Yew could improve is mostly in the early going, giving us more of a clue that the show is aiming for parable or allegory rather than satire. On opening night, the jokier linguistic bits in the exchanges among Butler, Derricks and Morohunfola read to much of the audience as straight comedy; the skilled actors misfired by barreling through their exposition and letting it be buried by laughs."
Stage and Cinema - Recommended
"...Lizan Mitchell, as the dynastic dowager Negro Mary, is a force of nature and a legend in the making. Keeping it real and endowing the one-act with her perfect singing, E. Faye Butler grounds the action as earth-mother Nova, in touch with her ancestors and seeing into today. Cleavant Derricks brings stolid decency to Dozens, and Tosin Morohunfola offers elegant class as hopeful John Israel First. As the whites caught up in the contradictions of sex and status, Steve O’Connell and Eleni Pappageorge are pawns of a plot that’s not above human sacrifice–but they bring chilling immediacy to their unearned privilege."
ChicagoCritic - Recommended
"...Under Chay Yew’s direction, each of the plot threads are interesting on their own and clearly develop within this semi-fantastical realm. Even though there are only six actors, we get some feeling of the world beyond. Again, that key word “parable” in the play’s subtitle justifies the supernatural elements in a social critique, although playing a recording of the cursed land hissing “work me” like Audrey II went a little far for me. I like the idea of the personal and political forces blending into each other to drive the tragedy, but I think the balance is too heavy on the personal side. The play ends with audio recordings of the shootings that prompted its creation, just in case you didn’t get it. It’s unnecessary, and more exploration of why specifically that form of racism was willfully constructed at that time would have relieved the anxiety the creative team apparently felt over being misunderstood. But I still think it’s an interesting show, and partly serves its purpose in improving the discourse on race just by drawing attention to a crucial, but largely forgotten period."
Around The Town Chicago - Recommended
"...Sometimes it is difficult to give a play a true rating. Often, while the production may have shining moments, worthy of four or five stars, there are also points that bring it down to a lower level. The World Premiere that was placed on the stage at Victory gardens Theater tonight, was one of these productions. Directed by Artistic Director, Chay Yew, this one act (95 minutes- no intermission) play is a story that is told, dating back to the 1600’s, in Virginia. This was a time of class, rather than color for those who lived in the tobacco-growing colonies."
Chicago Theatre Review - Highly Recommended
"...Chay Yew’s wonderfully stirring, gorgeously mounted production of Marcus Gardley’s new play, may tell a tale from a time long ago, but the story actually reflects and is inspired by recent current events. This 90-minute one-act should spark many a conversation about how race relations have evolved over the years but how, in so many ways, they continue to remain the same. This is one of Victory Garden’s best productions and shouldn’t be missed."
Chicagoland Theater Reviews - Recommended
"...Victory Gardens artistic director Chay Yew manages to hold together the disparate storylines well enough to keep the viewer's attention continually engaged. Myung Hee Cho designed the effective and efficient abstract set. Izumi Inaba designed the authentic-looking period costumes. Christine Binder's lighting and the sound design by Rob Milburn and Michael Bodeen contribute numerous dramatic aural and visual flourishes. And a real shout out goes to fight director Ryan Bourque for his brilliant staging of the hand to hand battle between John Israel and the constable."
