#1
Posted: 2/11/06 at 10:48pm
I've just returned from the first preview performance of "Bernarda Alba", Michael John LaChiusa's mesmirizing adaptation of Federico Garcia Lorca's masterpiece, currently at Lincoln Center's Mitzi Newhouse Theatre. Set simply on an almost bare stage with 10 wooden chairs (one for each performer), the cast brilliantly transported the audience from a snowy 21-st century evening in Manhattan to the balmy South of Spain, circa 1930.
After the death of her second husband, Bernarda (the commanding Phylicia Rashad, who sounded the best I've ever heard her sound) decrees that during the period of mourning, no one is to enter or exit the house for any reason. This does not sit well with her five daughters, but they are so terrified of her that they would never dare go against an order of hers.
Her daughters are all alike and different: Angustias (Saundra Santiago), the only child of her first marriage, is wealthy due to the large sum of money her father left her and thus becomes the object of desire for men in the town (it is also hinted at that she had an affair with her stepfather). Magdalena (Judy Blazer, a first-rate LaChiusa interpreter) is a gifted seamstress, but lazy. Amelia (Sally Murphy) is beautiful but shy. Martirio (the brilliant Daphne Rubin-Vega) is crippled and ugly; her lack of beauty brings shame upon her mother. Finally, there is Adela (the breathtaking Nikki M. James), a firecracker, and the only one who isn't afraid to stand up to Bernarda's tyranny.
Presiding over the ceremonies is Poncia, played with scene-stealing vigor by Candy Buckley. A servant in the house for thirty years, she can read Bernarda like a book.
LaChiusa's music, inspired by flamenco rhythms, is among the most accomplished he has ever written. Dark and brooding, yet delicate as well, it perfectly captures the atmosphere of Bernarda Alba's prison.
There is not one weak link in the cast, but the standout is definitely Ms. Rubin-Vega. Much like Donna Murphy's Fosca, she completely invests herself in the hideousness and wretchedness of her character. When she sings, the anguish in her voice can cut you like a nice. When she is acting, you are filled with both empathy and hatred for her character. Truly a tour-de-force. It is also good to have Ms. Blazer back on stage, where she belongs. Her voice is as expressive as always.
Lincoln Center has a hit on its hand with this show.
After the death of her second husband, Bernarda (the commanding Phylicia Rashad, who sounded the best I've ever heard her sound) decrees that during the period of mourning, no one is to enter or exit the house for any reason. This does not sit well with her five daughters, but they are so terrified of her that they would never dare go against an order of hers.
Her daughters are all alike and different: Angustias (Saundra Santiago), the only child of her first marriage, is wealthy due to the large sum of money her father left her and thus becomes the object of desire for men in the town (it is also hinted at that she had an affair with her stepfather). Magdalena (Judy Blazer, a first-rate LaChiusa interpreter) is a gifted seamstress, but lazy. Amelia (Sally Murphy) is beautiful but shy. Martirio (the brilliant Daphne Rubin-Vega) is crippled and ugly; her lack of beauty brings shame upon her mother. Finally, there is Adela (the breathtaking Nikki M. James), a firecracker, and the only one who isn't afraid to stand up to Bernarda's tyranny.
Presiding over the ceremonies is Poncia, played with scene-stealing vigor by Candy Buckley. A servant in the house for thirty years, she can read Bernarda like a book.
LaChiusa's music, inspired by flamenco rhythms, is among the most accomplished he has ever written. Dark and brooding, yet delicate as well, it perfectly captures the atmosphere of Bernarda Alba's prison.
There is not one weak link in the cast, but the standout is definitely Ms. Rubin-Vega. Much like Donna Murphy's Fosca, she completely invests herself in the hideousness and wretchedness of her character. When she sings, the anguish in her voice can cut you like a nice. When she is acting, you are filled with both empathy and hatred for her character. Truly a tour-de-force. It is also good to have Ms. Blazer back on stage, where she belongs. Her voice is as expressive as always.
Lincoln Center has a hit on its hand with this show.
