NANCY-GRACE DERSHAM, foreground, plays the maid and Mary Boothbay is the eldest sister, Angustias, in Heartwood Theater’s “The House of Bernarda Alba,” which opens in Newcastle tonight.
Juanito Pascual, acclaimed as one of the top young flamenco guitarists on the international music scene, improvises original musical throughout, electrifying an already charged performance by an ensemble cast of 10 women.
Written by Federico Garcia Lorca and adapted by Emily Mann, the production grows from the classic script of Lorca, written in the 1930s, rural Spain.
“A surprising set of stucco, wood and tile mirrors the play as a crisp, compelling and confining space in which these actresses deliver their tragedy,” a Heartwood release states. “The lighting is warm, and the evocative strains of flamenco guitar music are sensitively in tune with the pulse of each scene.”
The release describes the plot as follows:
A formidable force of power and will, Bernarda Alba rules her five restless, passionate, competitive daughters, who are hopelessly imprisoned in a world of lifeless household routines and oppressive tradition. The tightly woven lives in this suffocating world of women are laced with seething jealousies, fear, and suppressed desire. Into this fiery mix enters Pepe Romano … and the results are perfectly tragic.
Written in 1936 just before the Spanish Civil War, “The House of Bernarda Alba” is truly a play for all times, exploring eternal themes of desire, authoritarianism, prejudice, tradition and tragedy.
The performance runs 90 minutes. Curtain times are 7:30 p.m. today, Saturday and Thursday, as well as July 27 and 28. A 3 p.m. matinee closes out the run on July 29.
Seating is general, although special arrangements can be made at the time of reservation. Tickets cost $12 for students or $18 for adults.
For reservations, which are suggested, call 563-1373 or email boxoffice@heartwoodtheater.org.
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