Happy timezones, Friends! The Mister and I went to see the play Blood Relations as performed by the Fenton Village Players, and I thought I would tell you about that here!
Blood Relations
Summary:
Blood Relations is a psychological murder‑mystery play by Sharon Pollock that re‑examines the infamous 1892 Lizzie Borden case through memory, role‑play, and ambiguity. The story blends historical fact with speculation, focusing on the emotional and psychological tensions inside the Borden household.1
Director: Victoria Stratton
Writer: Sharon Pollock
Starring: Ashley Putnam, Emily Matticks, Audreanna Symon, Christian Dresen, Trevor Allen, Wendy Schaffer, Michael Kannisto
Genres: Mystery, Drama
The atmosphere was just right for such a dark, intimate story. Concessions even leaned into the theme — two specialty cocktails, The Irish Maid (pictured right) and Forty Whacks, a bright cherry‑red drink. The Mister kept it simple with a Sprite.
Set in 1902, ten years after the murders, the play follows Lizzie Borden as she hosts a friend known only as The Actress. Curious about the truth behind the killings, The Actress asks Lizzie to explain what really happened. Lizzie suggests a “game,” a reenactment of the days leading up to the murders. The Actress plays Lizzie, while Lizzie herself takes on the role of the maid. The result is a story that blurs memory and performance, truth and imagination.
The performances were very good overall, but The Actress was the standout. She carried the emotional weight of the reenactment scenes — shifting between curiosity, fear, and fascination — and her dynamic with Lizzie made the blurred line between truth and performance feel genuinely unsettling. Her reactions often became the audience’s reactions, grounding the play even when the narrative slipped into ambiguity.
One of the strongest elements of Blood Relations is how it refuses to tell the audience what’s real. The entire play is built on a reenactment — a “game” — and the more the characters slip into their roles, the harder it becomes to separate memory from imagination.
The production underscored how little power Lizzie had in a rigid, patriarchal household. Her finances, her movements, even her future were controlled by others. Whether she committed the murders or not, the play makes it clear she was a woman pushed to the edges of her own life.
The production never tells us whether Lizzie did it. Instead, it invites us to sit in the uncertainty; to watch a woman reenact her own story through someone else’s body and decide for ourselves whether we’re witnessing confession, manipulation, or simply performance.
Happy timezones! I’m so glad you stopped by today.
Thank you, kind readers, for liking, lurking, reading, and commenting. You are important!
Citations:
1. to, Contributors. 2008. ‘Play Written by Sharon Pollock’, Wikipedia.org (Wikimedia Foundation, Inc.) <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blood_Relations_%28Pollock_play%29?utm_source=copilot.com> [accessed 1 March 2026]
Copyright © 2026 | KL Hawke & booomcha.com | All Rights Reserved.
18 comments
I need to find a little theater like this to go to. That looks like great fun!
Local theater is so much fun! I hope you find one.
Looks like a fine production and those drinks sound fun! 🙂 The story of Lizzie Borden is intriguing. There have been a few movies about it. One I saw in the ’70s, starring Elizabeth Montgomery of Bewitched fame. Live theatre is more exciting, though.
Yes, that was a terrific movie. It’s on YouTube if you ever want to watch it again.
So, do you think she did it? I think it was her Uncle John Morse.
I’m not sure she did it, but we’ll never know. 🤔 A good case can be made for the uncle, but what about her older sister Emma? She likely hated her parents just as much.
True. So many suspects! Like you said, we’ll never know. But I want to know! LOL
Sounds amazing! Thank you for the heads up.
It was pretty good! Thank you, Cindy!
What fun! I love plays and am always impressed by the actors and actresses abilities! Thanks for sharing.
It was a lot of fun, and I hope to do it again soon. I’m impressed with their abilities, too. Thank you, Jan!
Save Anita and me seats for the next production!😂
❤️&🙏, 🤠
You got it! LOL 😂🤣
There is nothing finer than community theater. Thanks for sharing, Kymber
Thank you, John. I totally agree!
Sometimes these local theatre productions really deliver Kymber and provide an entertaining outing. A fascinating subject, as long as there are no axes about. Happy Sunday. Allan
You’re so right about local theater productions, Allan. There was a hatchet used on stage, I will say that. LOL
So, this play was a cut above, then….
LOLOLOL 😂🤣 You could say that!