Written by Federico García Lorca
Adapted by Karen Vickery, Assisted by Andrea Garcia
Directed by Karen Vickery
Chaika Theatre at the ACT HUB Theatre, Kingston to 29
March
Reviewed by Len Power 19 March 2025
Described in the play’s subtitle as ‘a drama of women in the villages of Spain’, poet and playwright, Federico García Lorca’s last play was first performed in 1945 in Buenos Aires, Argentina. García Lorca, who wrote the play in 1936, was assassinated shortly after, in the Spanish Civil War.
During a period of mourning for her dead husband, Bernarda Alba wields total control over her five adult unmarried daughters whose ages range between 20 and 39. A housekeeper, a servant and Bernarda’s elderly mother also suffer from the repressive behaviour of Bernarda. No males appear during the play and its study of female repression, passion and conformity in a strongly male culture leads to a devastating tragedy.
Karen Vickery and Andrea Garcia have produced an adaptation of this play that is highly accessible, retaining the full power and poetry of García Lorca’s original.
As director, Vickery has assembled an expert cast of performers who each give their characters an individual and believable life. As Bernarda, Zsuzsi Soboslay, dominates the stage with a ferocity that hides the fear, pain and sorrow beneath the surface. It is a performance of impressive depth.
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| Zsuzsi Soboslay (Bernarda) |
All five daughters, played by Karina Hudson, Sophie Benassi, Yanina Clifton, Amy Kowalczuk and Maxine Beaumont, clearly show their relationships with each other as well as their own hopes and dreams. Particularly impressive is their playing of a disturbing innocence of life, due to their repression. The ensemble playing by these performers rings true every moment they are on stage.
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| Sisters, grandmother and housekeeper in 'The House Of Bernarda Alba' |
Also giving fine, in-depth performances as the servants are Diana Caban Velez (Lucia) and Christina Falsone (Poncia) and Andrea Garcia as the neighbour, Prudencia. Alice Ferguson as Maria Josefa, Bernarda’s mother, gives a strong and believable portrait of an elderly woman losing touch with reality but still displaying signs of the strength of the woman she once was.
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| Alice Ferguson (Maria Josefa) |
It was a clever touch having the voices of men singing distantly, but near enough to show that the male influence of this society was ever-present.
The play is staged in the round, effectively drawing the surrounding audience into this closed and repressed world.
This is a fine production of a famous play with excellent performances by the entire cast. Vickery’s and Garcia’s adaption of the original play, Vickery’s direction and the performances make this a compelling evening in the theatre.
Len
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