BLOOD AND GIFTS  at the Mitzi Newhouse Theratre

(Seen December 2011)


J. T. Roger's new play about the CIA and America's covert operations in Pakistan and Afghanistan in the 1980s is an intense spy drama involving warlords, corrupt military regimes, Russia, Britain -- all the makings of an exciting feature film thriller.  

Director Bartlett Sher has seamlessly fit all the various theatrical settings into a multi-functional, confined playing area. Small set-pieces and props, and lighting changes,  represent myriad locations for the intriguing action.

It is the excellent writing and low-key acting that help the realization of this tour-de-force drama.  Jeremy Davidson, as the CIA operative, leads the versatile and most accomplished cast through a variety of personal and political turns that add up to an impressive theatrical experience.