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The House of Bernarda Alba

 


When: 7th December 2023 / 13th December 2023 (matinee)

Where: Lyttleton Theatre, London

Writer: Alice Birch (after Federico García Lorca)

Director: Rebecca Frecknall

(Spoilers ahead)

I have always loved modern adaptations of classic texts, they manage to breath new life and excitement into texts that may otherwise have lost traction. This play is no different. Whilst from my understanding Birch hasn't changed the story, or the text that drastically, it is the way in which she layers scenes that it so fascinating. 

The play takes place in Bernarda Alba's house, when the curtains open we see the three floors, each of their bedrooms and the main living and dining space on the ground floor. This set excites me so much, it creates brilliant images and details that could not have been explored in any other way. At points we are able to see characters private reactions to things, either after they have left the scene or during. There's a brilliant moment when during an argument downstairs we see each character wake up from their sleep, disturbed by the noise. These are things which tells an audience a lot about a character, and provides them with a much deeper understanding of their private lives, but these are things which are often left of stage, left for the audience to imagine happening. I think the decision to show this, gives a really interesting perspective on the piece, not only allowing the audience to understand those characters better, but also understand the impact of Bernarda Albas presence on an even deeper level. The set in lots of ways imitates a dolls house, the trapped nature of the daughters, and the blue hues presented in both the led lighting and the objects scattered around the house reflects a psych ward. In the ending when Adela hangs herself in her bedroom, the image created of everyone crowded in the doorway of this tiny room in the centre of the proscenium is shocking. Then way the shutters of the stage then close in, from top and bottom, leaving us with this image until the very end leaves the audience in an uncomfortable silence. I was left leaning forward in my seat hand over my mouth in shock. 

Bernarda Alba being the titular character, surprisingly says very little. Yet it's her presence, her ability to silence a room just by entering, that makes her so powerful. The entire play revolves around the ominous atmosphere that she creates. The first time I saw this play Harriet Walter was playing this role, and she was incredible. Somehow she effortlessly portrayed exactly what the character needed. Whereas the second time I saw the understudy (Celia Nelson), and whilst she was good, having seen Walter the week before, she felt very flat. I don't think this is anything to do with her acting ability, but presence is something that you can't force, and if you try to hard it doesn't work. I think Nelson understood the character of Bernarda Alba perfectly, she just couldn't find the niche to hold the stage as well as Walter could. 

I also loved the inclusion of physical theatre moments, it brought in another aspect of modern theatre to this classic text. This was specifically used to explore the character of Pepe, in the original he is never seen only spoken about so it's a really interesting decision to bring him on stage. Like in the original he still never speaks but we see him move in an almost animalistic style across the stage, crawling out from under the table, and looming around the gates of the house. Its through this that we learn not only what kind of person he is, but also the grasp that he holds on all of the women in the house. 

The actors portraying each of the sisters were great, they managed to each pick up on certain characteristics and let them run free. The dynamics created between them, the tensions, were palpable in the room, particularly the dynamic between Adela (Isis Hainsworth) and Martirio (Lizzie Annis).  

I think overall, this play is really successful, it's a great example of the ways that bringing classical texts to a modern audience can shine new light on continuing issues or bring different meaning to aspects of the piece. By placing the story in an ambiguous time like this production does, it further highlights the relevance of the story to a wide variety of audiences. 




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