Blood Hammer Girl
By Justin Locklear
Directed by Justin Locklear
Produced by Ochre House Theatre
Audience Rating: PG13
Run Time: 2 hours 15 minutes, including one 15 minute intermission
Accessible Seating: Available
Hearing Devices: Not Available
Sensory Friendly Performance: Not Available
ASL Showing: February 21
Production Sound Level: Comfortable Volume
Noises or Visuals to Prepare For: Use of violence, blood and somewhat disturbing content
Reviewed by Jenny Wood
Nestled in between small cocktail bars along a side street near Fair Park, Ochre House Theatre is known for a theatrical genre they’ve dubbed “suavante garde” - a branch of the avant garde uniquely theirs.
Blood Hammer Girl is billed as a cautionary fable featuring “music, comedy, violence!”, an original work written and directed by Justin Locklear.
The plot is clearly laid out in the Prologue: In a small village in the countryside somewhere near the mountains, there is a community that values silence. So much so, that if the same person is reported as disturbing the evening peace three nights in a row, that person will suffer a graphic, gory death by hammer delivered by the titular Blood Hammer Girl.
The fable is told through song and highly stylized physical comedy, well executed on a small rotating stage. In lieu of extensive set or scene changes, a rotating stage and few hero set pieces are used, resulting in a production which relies heavily on the technical skill of its live musicians and core cast to explore the de-evolution of a homely shepherd girl’s search for a husband.
Wherever a spot of plot might be a bit hazy, Cameron Wisener (Tiffany) would hit her mark under Kevin Grammer’s lighting in just exactly the right way to allow her facial expressions to draw us in and clarify. Danielle Georgiou as The Stone serves up a lovely little side dish of the absurd, interacting deftly with Michael Stimac’s priest Aman. Lily Gast and Carson Wright are a strong comedic pair as Mother and Yanno, and Gast’s solo - at least I remember it as a solo - after the act break was delightful. The live soundtrack, provided by a small company of musicians just below stage right - a staple of Ochre’s style - brought an immersive feel to a largely proscenium staging.
The visuals in the show are lovely, and the lighting design deserves a second mention. The first kill lit up the room in a perfectly jarring way. Thereafter, though, less bright or bloody each time. The show delivered the promised music and comedy, but… significantly less violence than anticipated.
In the end, both my plus one and I were left wishing there had been more blood. Not unlike what the homely shepherdess Tiffany seemed to long for, which may or may not be the moral of the tale.
Blood Hammer Girl continues through March 7. Visit ochrehousetheater.org for info and tickets.
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