'Blood/Love' Off-Broadway review — vampire pop opera sings and dances through life as an immortal
Read our review of Blood/Love off Broadway, an original musical written by Dru DeCaro and Carey Sharpe, who also stars in the show at Theatre 555 through May 10.
Summary
- Blood/Love is an original musical about a former queen of Hell and the world's first vampire seeking a fresh start
- The show has strong choreography and staging but fails to deliver an emotional payoff
- The show has a gothic nightclub-esque vibe that makes for great visuals and encourages vampire fans to come on theme
- The show is recommended for fans of other recent vampire media like Sinners; Nosferatu; What We Do in the Shadows; and Interview With the Vampire
It’s an exciting time to love the vampire genre. Sinners, one of the most popular films of 2025, is about vampires infiltrating a 1930s juke joint. A Nosferatu remake dominated the internet in 2024. What We Do In the Shadows, following the adventures of Staten Island vampires, just wrapped after six seasons, and a TV adaptation of Anne Rice’s Interview with the Vampire premieres a new season this summer. So of course, it only makes sense that there are vampires on stage too. A buzzy adaptation of the '80s vampire flick The Lost Boys comes to Broadway later this month, but first, the new Off-Broadway musical Blood/Love tells the original story of Valerie Bloodlove: the world’s first vampire and the exiled queen of Hell.
Blood/Love was co-written by two-time Grammy nominee Dru DeCaro and Carey Renee Sharpe, who also stars as Valerie. Like any self-respecting 1,000-year old, Valerie Bloodlove has lived many lives and had many identities: “The World’s First Vampire,” “The Queen with the White Horns,” and most poignantly, the Devil’s ex, before she left the realm of Hell for the world above. In the modern day, after a millennium of undead life, she begins to feel like something is missing. Around the same time, the Devil (Andrew Avila) sheds his gorgeous beaded white costume and shows up at The Crimson, Valerie’s nightclub of choice, peddling dangerous drugs.
It’s a great hodgepodge of vampire tropes, some of which work better than others under Hunter Bird's direction — such as a great bit of staging where Valerie and her vampire companions admire themselves in a mirror and see no reflections, only their clothes. However, none of the themes feel fully fleshed out enough for an emotional payoff. Even the climactic moment where Valerie returns to Hell and frees souls bound to the Devil with her violin (in a very Hadestown-esque sequence) falls flat, as the story gives us no real reason to care about these souls. It would be far more satisfying to see Valerie reckon with the seemingly permanent loss of her two best friends, Demetrius (Zephaniah Divine Wages) and Cleo (powerhouse Brooke Simpson) — the only two humans she ever turned into vampires. Either way, Sharpe’s performance falls short of the conviction that Valerie cares for her friends, or even Anzick (Christopher M. Ramirez), the rock-star lover she leaves them behind for.
The show’s narrative may be confused, but Blood/Love has standout moments, like Anzick’s introduction song in The Crimson or the elaborate time-traveling scene that sets up Valerie’s origins. Stunning choreography by Jonathan Platero, Oksana Platero, and Natalie Malotke gives the action a deadly dynamism, and the complex sets (by Jason Ardizzone-West) and engaging lighting (by Japhy Weideman) truly make the entire theatre feel like the inside of a nightclub — the perfect haunt for anyone who wants to immerse themselves in the vampire world.
Blood/Love summary
Vampire pop opera Blood/Love follows the origins of Valerie Bloodlove, who was once the bride of the Devil before she left Hell to experience humanity. In a cruel twist of fate, she emerges into the world of the living as the world’s first vampire, doomed to exist in the night and feed on humans for sustenance, with only two friends, fellow vampires Cleo and Demetrius, for company. When she meets Anzick, a young rock star with a dark secret, she must reevaluate the life she’s been living for 1,000 years.
What to expect at Blood/Love
The vibes at Theater 555 are extremely goth and fun. The lobby is bathed in red light from the bright neon sign that reads “The Crimson” (the name of the nightclub where Valerie meets Anzick). The bar serves themed drinks, and on the night I attended, audience members were dressed in their undead best.
Spouses Jonathan and Oksana Platero, whose credits include Dancing With the Stars, So You Think You Can Dance, and more, choreographed Blood/Love together alongside Natalie Malotke. A personal favorite scene was the tango between Anzick (Ramirez is fantastic as the tortured artist) and the Devil (a suave, magnetic Avila). Not only that, the Plateros also appear as featured dancers throughout. Oksana Platero often acts as a physical embodiment of Valerie’s past, dancing in her old getup as the Queen of Hell while present-day Valerie wrestles with her emotions. The Plateros also add color in Valerie and Anzick’s song “Prey,” infusing the scene with gasp-worthy dance moves.
What audiences are saying about Blood/Love
Audiences have taken to social media to share their thoughts on this new original musical.
- “It’s a fun night out! It’s not your traditional show…and the music is really good.” - Reddit user u/Specialist_Tooth_997
- “It’s aesthetically pleasing but I have no idea what the plot was supposed to be.” - Reddit user u/actualranger
- “Great costuming. Really great dancing. A feast for the eyes.” - Reddit user u/EducationalUnit838
Who should see Blood/Love
- Fans of the vampire genre will love all the vampy tropes sprinkled throughout the story, such as the Liquid Sunshine drug that foreshadows doom for Valerie, Demetrius, and Cleo.
- Theatregoers looking for dynamic staging won’t be disappointed by director Hunter Bird, who was also part of the creative team of Masquerade.
- People hoping to see choreography that tells a story will enjoy the Plateros’ work on and off the stage for Blood/Love.
Learn more about Blood/Love off Broadway
Blood/Love is full of fun visuals, performances, and music, but this new musical ultimately doesn’t manage to sink its teeth into the story's emotional heft.
Photo credit: Blood/Love off Broadway. (Photos by Matthew Murphy)
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