People’s World 
“EXPLODES WITH HIP-HOP MUSIC AND MOVEMENT AND COLORFUL IDIOMATIC SPEECH… So many fortuitous elements have come together in the Open Fist Theatre Company production of Dominique Morisseau’s Blood at the Root. The right playwright for the subject, a passionate young cast, a stunning set, and a genius director who has taken this “choreopoem” in his hands and made it move and sing. I wouldn’t have missed it for anything.” — Eric Gordon, People’s World

Stage Raw
“STAGE RAW TOP 10… deftly directed… rhythm and hip-hop infused… delivers its social commentary not with polemic but through the characters’ conflicts and woes… a youthful ensemble performs with energy and commitment, and the pace never lags.” — Deborah Klugman, Stage Raw

Broadway World 
“PROVOCATIVE… complex characterizations amid complex issues… a blistering look at race, prejudice, and the complexity of human relationships… tight, creative direction… the cast is sterling.” — Harker Jones, Broadway World

Stage Scene LA
“WOW!… ELECTRIFYING… [staged] with vibrant vitality and abundant visual flair… [playwright] Dominique Morisseau at her edgy, exciting best,” — Steven Stanley, Stage Scene LA

Stage and Cinema 
“HOORAY AND HALLELUJAH… Easily the most powerful play on any L.A. stage right now… The cast is amazing throughout… DO NOT MISS THIS PRODUCTION.” — Tony Frankel, Stage and Cinema

2 Urban Girls
“REMARKABLE… From the music to the words, tone, and inflection in the actor’s voices, this play is authentic to its Louisiana origin… [The ensemble] showed their acting range in bringing a tense subject matter to the stage.” — Emilie St. John, 2 Urban Girls

Larchmont Buzz 
“BRING[S] THE HEAT… Sometimes a play so perfectly captures a moment, through all-in writing, acting, direction, set, costumes, sound and lighting, that all you can do is lean forward and gape… lifts Morisseau’s knowing script to its highest level.” — Laura Foti Cohen, Larchmont Buzz

Hollywood Progressive
“WHATEVER YOU DO, DON’T MISS THIS ONE… a multilayered examination of the full range of challenges today’s youngsters face—racism and homophobia, yes, but also colorism, interracial romance, soul-crushing isolation, and more… superb acting…  lyrical dialog…  riveting choreography,.” — Dick Price, Linnea Friberg-Price and Sharon Kyle, Hollywood Progressive

Colorado Boulevard
“EXPLOSIVE, FAST-MOVING, LYRICAL… great acting, singing, partying, music, lyrical storytelling, intense emotion, and a story that will leave much to ponder, but also exudes hope.” — Carol edger Germain, Colorado Boulevard

Angeles Stage 
“SUPERB… PROPULSIVE, RHYTHMIC… acutely analyzes the psychology of students of both races, from different social strata.” — Don Shirley, Angeles Stage

The Tvolution 
“RIVETING… for all its rage and racial ugliness that rips through this drama, Blood at the Root is exquisitely beautiful… a pitch-perfect pace, one that exhilarates an audience with its tempo without leaving them mystified by its momentum… a slick, stylish, very smartly devised piece of writing.” — Ernest Kearney, The Tvolution