Chicago Tribune - Somewhat Recommended
"..."Blood Wedding" is really about sex, as filtered through desire, morality and control. What else are these isolated characters going to do with their time? When they're young, they want it. As they age, they settle for controlling how the young do or do not get it, trying not to be left alone or impoverished themselves. Yet there is just nothing sexy about this show. Nothing. It's more like "Medea" in its gloomy inevitability."
Chicago Sun Times - Highly Recommended
"...As its title suggests, "Blood Wedding" - which unfolds in three fast-moving acts, and features a notably lean, muscular, poetic and at moments caustically funny translation by Michael Dewell and Carmen Zapata - is a tale that will end in death. Haunted and haunting from the start, it is, in fact, the anatomy of two marriages that never should have taken place, and one that never happened yet burned through everything and everyone in its wake."
Chicago Reader - Somewhat Recommended
"...It's still the story of nuptials derailed by hate and lust, and the language (translated from Spanish by Michael Dewell and Carmen Zapata) is still earthy and passionate. But the look is rough-hewn and dusty. With the sole exception of Kareem Bandealy's fiery take on the bride's ex (whom she is most assuredly not over), the acting also has the sort of dry, taciturn quality that would be better suited to a Dorothea Lange photo than Lorca's full-blooded poetry. When things finally explode into rage and violence in the third act, the results are perplexing instead of shattering."
Time Out Chicago - Highly Recommended
"...Director Daniel Ostling has chosen to set the play in California during the Great Depression, instead of the rural hills of Andalucía. With original music by Rick Sims, the lyrical pieces of the play are transformed into Depression-era folk songs that are thoughtful and add a bit of levity to the tragic tale. The sparse, wooden set is earthly yet ethereal, fitting for the progression of the play."
Stage and Cinema - Recommended
"...Blood Wedding is as implacable and inevitable as lethal legends can wax. Ostling’s dozen actors bring American grit to a Spanish nightmare. For some theatergoers, the intricately rhapsodic dialogue and emotional outbursts will seem abstract and stylized for what’s, sadly and simply, an ugly scandal. But Lookingglass’s labor of lust perfectly pits tradition against instinct, religion against reality, and life against death. Guess what wins."
ChicagoCritic - Somewhat Recommended
"...The most distinctive feature of this production is how, following the first two acts, it abruptly transitions into symbolism. For this reason, it is also an unusual example of a two-hour long play with two intermissions, which disrupt the flow of the piece. The levitating piano, hunter’s moon that hunts humans, and perverted old traveler are a welcome change of pace, although they can’t hold off the return of the underwhelming poetic monologues forever. But this change also allows Ostling to introduce more imaginative visuals, which are the production’s greatest strength. It’s too bad that the human elements are so much more restrained and indecisive than the design, but Blood Wedding still has some value."
Around The Town Chicago - Recommended
"...The costumes (Mara Blumenfeld), lighting (T.J. Gerckens), sound (Josh Horvath) original music (Rick Sims) ,choreography (Tracy Walsh) and props (Sarah Burnham) complete the technical part of the show that puts all the pieces together. This is indeed a different story and a unique way of telling it. As I said earlier, Lookingglass is the perfect company to pull this off."
Chicago Theatre Review - Highly Recommended
"...In Daniel Ostling’s exciting, reimagined vision of this classic play, audiences will more closely identify with this stark, dramatic work, now set in Depression Era California. Garcia Lorca’s story becomes relatable, his characters more profound, yet they still feel larger-than-life, much like the heroes and villains of Greek drama. Deception and lies challenge the cycle of life and Fate alone is left to carry out reward and punishment to the mere mortals who challenge order. In a powerful production that leaves its audience breathless, Lookingglass Theatre has once again brought new life and relevance to an old classic."
Chicagoland Theater Reviews - Recommended
"...“Blood Wedding” is a departure for the Lookingglass. Patrons are accustomed to highly physical adaptations of such literary works as “Moby Dick,” “Treasure Island,” and “Alice in Wonderland.” The revival of “Blood Wedding” is primarily a language play with little physical action other than an occasional brief dance. The first two acts hold the viewer’s attention with their intense emotions that lead inexorably to the tragic conclusion. The third act, so different in tone, is a questionable fit with the first two acts. Still, it’s an ambitious project worth doing and it does expose audiences to a notable play that is rarely staged in English."
The Fourth Walsh - Somewhat Recommended
"...Aside from teeny glimpses of an all-consuming passion between Sadler and Bandealy, the production has a hollowness. I don't have an emotional investment in this Wedding. I feel like the +1 that doesn't know anyone and is just waiting for the cake to be cut. Part of the issue is the rhythm of the storytelling. It starts and stops, starts and stops, starts and stops. The two hour+ show has limited scenery changes but has two intermissions. As we are trying to connect to the drama, the act ends and its intermission. Although Act 1 and Act 2 end with dramatic flair into blackout, I think the show would have been better suited for a tight, fluid 90 minutes. During the second intermission, the crew suspends a piano in the air. An intriguing feat that doesn't prove necessary. The third act is the most interesting visually with black costumes against a massive white shimmery tarp. The imagery could be hauntingly memorable but I don't know these people enough to care."
Chicago Theater Beat - Recommended
"...Lorca’s allegorical subtext may get fuzzy in Lookingglass’ production, but there’s no denying the beauty of the production or the chemistry that sparks between its doomed lovers."
Third Coast Review - Somewhat Recommended
"...The parental performances are the best among the cast, although Dunford’s voice was not strong enough to project when she performs with her back to the audience (seated on three sides of the thrust stage). The other performers are capable but not remarkable."
NewCity Chicago - Somewhat Recommended
"...There is imbalance in the ménage à trois of Kareem Bandealy, Chance Bone and Helen Sadler that will likely work itself out as the production tightens over time but which was nevertheless unconvincing as of opening. It is easy to get lost in the expansive expressiveness of Garcia Lorca’s writing. Yet his poetry is an expression of the soul not of the mind. These three need to feel more than we believe is possible in order to successfully carry off the tragedy of their fate."
