In Fucking A, Hester Smith, the revered and reviled local abortionist, hatches a plan to buy her jailed son’s freedom—and nothing will deter Hester from her quest. In this wild-eyed blend of story and song, directed by Obie Award-winner Jo Bonney (Father Comes Home From the Wars), Hester’s branded letter A becomes a provocative emblem of vengeance, violence, and sacrifice.
This play was produced in tandem with Suzan-Lori Parks' In the Blood, directed by Sarah Benson, as part of the event we called The Red Letter Plays, a unique opportunity to see two plays by one writer in dialogue with each other. To find out more about why we presented these two riffs on Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter together, click here.
"Critics' Pick! Timeless and enduringly relevant. As harrowing as it is witty!"
- Ben Brantley,
The New York Times
"Four stars! Like Hester’s bloodily branded A, the play leaves an indelible mark."
- Raven Snook,
Time Out New York
"A fiery, raw-throated shout in the face of hypocrisy, privilege, and injustice."
- Sara Holdren,
New York Magazine