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Ritual in
Blood weaves a tale of how religion and greed can easily twist
the role of truth.
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| Ritual
in Blood is set during an era when executions of Jews was
common. |
A tragic
accident culminates in Little Hugh, a peasant boy, becoming
canonised when the lies and deceit of those associated with
him spiral out of control.
Most of
the play is acted on a very dark stage, and throughout the performance
graphics and information are screened on a huge backdrop, which
adds to the atmosphere of mystery, death and deceit.
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| Ritual
In Blood author Stephen Berkoff |
Steven Berkoff,
the author, has done much research for this production and the
historical content is evident.
It is also
worth doing a little background reading before the play, the
tale of Little Hugh appears in Geoffrey Chaucer’s Canterbury
Tales – The Prioress Tale.
The play
is set during the period when ‘blood libel’ had undergone
a revival. It deems that Jews murder non-Jews in order to obtain
their blood for the Passover.
The blood libel led to trials and massacres of Jews in the Middle
Ages and early modern times.
To the uninitiated
much of the first half can be spent trying to understand where
everyone and everything fits into the production, but once this
becomes clear the audience can sit back - but not relax - to
watch this haunting, and at times daunting play.
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