When a theatre company swears allegiance to producing work which is rarely seen in this country, one can be forgiven for wondering pre-show whether this performance hiatus might not be for a valid reason. Yet in its touring production of dramatist Federico García Lorca’s 1935 drama, Red Dog dispels any such doubts by presenting a piece which succeeds in being both relevant and enjoyable.
After the death of her second husband, Bernarda Alba declares an eight-year period of mourning upon her household. Her attempts to maintain the excessive control she wields over her five sexually frustrated daughters, batty mother and meddling staff may sound like the stuff of French farce, but in fact yield a network of familial and societal tensions: though originally intended to reflect the oppression of women in early twentieth century Spain, themes of authoritarianism and prejudice are strong enough to resonate with our own time’s issues, both in the Middle East and closer to home.
Having clearly appreciated the strength of the text, director Sue Colverd concentrates on coaxing performances to match from her cast of five. Satisfyingly functional design and lighting choices don’t overcomplicate proceedings, and though the occasional employment of video projection feels awkward as a shoehorned-in technique, it is the tight and classy work of the ensemble which rightly stands out. Double, triple, even quadruple casting is rife, and is executed commendably: Saskia Portway brings a tremendous vitality and variation to her four roles, from the tight-lipped eldest daughter Angustias to the madly garrulous mother-in-the-attic, Maria. Similarly, Jude Emmet exudes snobbish conviction as the saturnine matriarch, and Kate Abraham’s Martirio staggers with a slow-burning performance that somehow manages to get even better in Lorca’s dangerously melodramatic second act. Here, Amy Enticknap toes the hazardous line of parody with her wantonly snarling Adela, but, in such grounded and honest company, even this can only slightly rock the boat.
In a theatrical climate where novelty and invention are often misjudged as requisite for success, the strengths and weaknesses of this production all point towards the fact that a solid commitment to text forms the bedrock of successful dramatic enterprise. When it remembers this, Red Dog’s Bernarda Alba is compelling stuff.
The House of Bernarda Alba plays the Church of St-Thomas-the-Martyr, Bristol, until 5 November and continues on tour.
