THE HOUSE OF BERNARDA ALBA
By Federico Garcia Lorca
Baron’s Court Theatre, ‘The Curtain’s Up’ Comeragh Road W14
Tuesday 24th March – Sunday 29th March

“ it’s best for single women like you to know that fifteen days after the wedding, a man leaves the bed for the table, then the table for the tavern. And any woman who doesn’t accept it rots away crying in a corner”
That’s the way of the world. That has always been the way of the world.

Federico Garcia Lorca is now accepted as one of the great feminist writers of the 20th century. Living in Spain in the 1930’s he wrote his three great plays, Blood Wedding, Yerma and then The House of Bernarda Alba during the revolutionary times, upsetting the Nationalists of Franco so much that when the captured him, the executed him. Did he fight against them? No. was the fact that he was homosexual upset them? Yes, but what really upset them was that he dared to write plays that gave a voice to the women of Spain. He wrote plays that showed what life and death was like for the ordinary women of Spain and that was offensive to them. Two months after he wrote Alba they shot him and his body was lost forever, fortunately his body of work remains and new life breathes with every new production.

Maggie Turner is superb as the harsh Bernarda having to deal with the funeral of her husband and the future of the daughters. Bernarda is that Mrs Larkin character of Peggy Mount, tough when even the toughest are wincing, who knows the road to take. Jean Christie gives more than able support as Poncia as Bernarda has to deal with her daughters, played by Kate Sandison, Juliet Valdez, Natalie Ames, Olivia Hunter and Jennifer Parsons and the sudden influx of gold digging suitors and the havoc that ensues amongst the girls. There is nothing worse than jealous sisters as each know exactly the right buttons to press for melt down.

The director, Nadine Hanwell started the Nadine’s Window Company in 2002 and uses her company to allow new actors and actresses to showcase their talent.

Reviewed by Evan Rule
Live in London