My first encounter with this Federico García Lorca play was in a Spanish literature class, reading La Casa de Bernarda Alba. I was curious to see how the work would be reinterpreted in the English language, and brought to life with a British-accented student cast.

White-sheet walls and a small stool set the scene for the all-female cast - Bernarda Alba, her five daughters, and her servants. The family all don black, to represent the mourning period of Bernarda’s husband’s death, but the daughters quickly resume wearing an all-white ensemble, representing their purity. The black-and-white scenery and costumes are uncomplicated, which draws our attention to the dialogue and to occasional splashes of color in the form of a red abanico and green dress. Subtle technical elements place us throughout the day. The lighting is stronger and church bells toll in the daytime; lights are dimmed to signify the nighttime, along with the tranquil accompaniment of crickets; and violin flourishes are played at the interludes (by a talented musician that I would like to commend, but there was no program to find his or her name).

In some respects, this production is timeless, as the main themes of family reputation and roles of different classes and genders have existed for centuries and across cultures. The minimalist décor and wardrobe keep us focused on the conversations, but part of me would have liked a little more to look at. I couldn’t help but compare this production to my high school’s performance of another Lorca play, Blood Wedding in March 2011. This Oxford production was more minimal than flamboyant, which in some ways better fitted the script, but again, I would have appreciated a few more eye-catching elements and slightly more intricate sound design, and perhaps a little more homage to the Spanish roots of the original script.

Two of the most enjoyable characters were La Poncia, the head maid, and Maria Josefa, the grandmother. The former acted as a not-so-quiet observer, occasionally criticizing Bernarda’s daughters and giving them advice. She also provided brief comic relief from the very serious play, with lines like “fate has sent me to this nunnery,” to poke fun at the unmarried daughters. The senile grandmother also provided humorous moments, by repeatedly escaping from her room and voicing her fantasies of running away to the sea to be married, and swaddling a lamb when describing wanting more children. Otherwise, the sisters, all dressed in white, were difficult to tell apart in the first few exchanges, especially until their characters developed further and we saw them contend for the same suitor. While they range in age from twenty to thirty-nine, having them all played by similarly-aged students with little to tell them apart other than a rosary and slight differences in their dress sleeves made me wonder who they were referring to initially. Also, there were brief moments where not all actors enunciated adequately enough to be heard by the audience in the opposite side of the square set-up. Nevertheless, the message of the sisters’ fear versus rebellion towards their mother came across well, and Bernarda Alba did not lack volume when bellowing about hiding her family’s secrets from the neighbors.

If you would like to experience Bernarda’s harsh matriarchal rule and her daughters’ conformity and disobedience, this production will be playing May 2–5 at 7:30pm in the Michael Pilch Studio.