←Recommendations of The Believers Market

Chilling and chillingly timely, with Bluestein-Lyons doing an effective job of showing how bloodcurdlingly banal true evil can be. Audiences will go home talking about how well this play drops the floor out from beneath them. And then they'll fall into an unsettled silence ...

Don't be fooled - the titular "Believers Market" is not what you think... and it's SO much darker than your standard holiday craft fair! Bluestein-Lyons does an excellent job building up a sense of mundane familiarity before springing a fantastic trap on us. You'll go from lighthearted giggling to anxiously giggling in a trice! If you are looking for a very unconventional holiday story with a wicked reversal, this is the short for you!

THIS IS THE FUTURE LIBERALS WANT! An elegant and unsettling satire, this. The comparisons to Twilight Zone and Shirley Jackson classics are well-earned, as Bluestein-Lyons’ short play stands tall with them. This one will sneak up on you and stick with you long after you’ve finished. I imagine seeing it live would be the talk of the night.

This had me thinking of Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery” with what starts out as wholesome holiday fun masking a dark undercurrent. Religion, ethnicity, and bigotry take center stage in what would be an even more shocking twist if only it didn’t feel so real. Add this to your holiday lineup to really mix things up.

I kept thinking, "Run, Doug, run!" during a virtual reading of this dark, satirical play. In a Hallmark Channel movie-like setting, the prejudices and politics of those in power may not be immediately blatant, but they are dangerous. Don't let the crocheted chicken toaster cozies, mugs with a mariachi Santa, or jars of pickles distract you. Run.

This short play did not go at ALL where I thought it was going! What a fabulous satire about religion and traditions. I'm afraid if I say anything more, I'll give things away. This play is great. It has biting things to say about a lot of stuff, and I love it.

This has all the makings of an episode of "The Twilight Zone" thanks to its genial yet slowly building sense of peril, all done up with the niceties of suburban politeness and the underlying tender trap of genteel hatred and chilling assumptions. There is a current vibe to it, yes, but it could be anytime. It could be tomorrow.

This holiday play should send a chill down your spine--but probably not in the way you expect. Hilary Bluestein-Lyons sets you up with one darkly comedic premise where you think it's going, then your stomach drops when you suddenly realize what it's actually about--and then your stomach tightens into a knot as you go through to see what happens. This all happens in roughly 10 minutes, by the way.

The characters in this play may claim not to be political, but "The Believers Market" (note the lack of apostrophe) is a play with something to say, and it gets its point across in a chilling and effective way. Playwright Hilary Bluestein-Lyons has conceived a dark holiday-season satire on the level of the Twilight Zone and The Lottery.

Without a doubt, this is definitely a play for our times. Hilary Bluestein-Lyons' "The Believers Market" is satirical as well as absurdist. It cuts and draws blood. And rightfully so. Nicely done, Hilary! Kudos!