The ICE immigration debate, which is sweeping across America, finds itself a home in this absorbing new play that explores identity, friendship and the 21st-century American Dream all in the confines of blood-filled butchers. 

Together in the tense ‘cutting room’ a of rapidly running out of cash Brooklyn family butchers, cutters ‘Dreamer’ JD (Marcello Cruz) and Billy (Ash Hunter) face a professional and personal crisis when their jobs are put on the line by boss, the no-nonsense Paula (Jackie Clune). Things quickly become complicated with the arrival of Billy’s cousin T (Mithra Malek), and soon the drive to survive for all the characters presents brutal opportunities. 

It is unflinching in its look at illegal immigration in the USA. JD, whose documents have expired, is quickly at the mercy of brute, broke, Billy, jealous of JD’s cutting prowess and desperate to provide for his ailing mother, and who soon considers turning his colleague in, in a move akin to Arthur Miller’s Eddie Carbone.

Cruz’s Mexican JD, known as ‘Dreamer’ to his colleagues, is a free spirit and embodies the hopes and aspirations of individuals swept up by the American Dream. The play’s title derives from his longing for his own butchers, yet once his immigration status becomes clear, a sense of dread and doom lingers over JD’s airy dreams. JD’s energy and passion for life make his fate all the more devastating, and Cruz does well to make the character instantly likeable.

This is enhanced well by JD’s relationship with newcomer T (Malek). Fresh out of prison, T is caught in the crossfire between her love interest, JD and her controlling cousin, Billy, with Malek’s portrayal of T’s longing for a better life, a touch of happiness, with JD one of the play’s sweeter touches. Malek’s portrayal is fiery and raw, really shining in the play’s gripping, ferocious climax.

Clune’s Paula is a formidable presence, all flinty resolve and bruised loyalty, anchoring the chaos with a matriarchal force that never slips into sentimentality. Her final scene with Billy is electric; a quiet devastation that exposes the fragile seams beneath her hard-bitten exterior. Opposite her, Hunter’s Billy bristles with infuriating stubbornness, a man so desperate to claw back control that he manipulates everyone in reach. 

It is all brought together neatly by George Turvey’s tight direction. Tense interactions are given time to breathe, and this combines successfully with an in-the-round configuration that enables audiences an intimate insight into these characters. When JD is eventually tackled by ICE, Turvey’s direction shifts tact, taking on a more abstract, physical approach before the violent dialogue between the remaining characters as they unpack a brutal betrayal. 

In addition, Mona Camille’s vivid design brings great vibrancy and a lot of horrifyingly realistic-looking carcasses to the stage. It is a neat touch to hang these from the rafters, a nod to how workers like JD are essentially worked to the bone before being cast-aside, not a particularly subtle metaphor for the American Dream, yet the gory details in the design, such as the gelatinous raw meat, the pools of blood and the array of onstage knives all help to bring this intimate, human story to life. 

By the end, we are left wondering what the American Dream will be in 2025. Although a bit rough around the edges, this absorbing new play is no off-cut.