REVIEWS: BERNARDA ALBA & THE PAJAMA GAME (added), RUDE fans — Page 3

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#51

re: REVIEWS: Bernarda Alba

Posted: 3/19/06 at 10:54pm

BSoBW2 -

When my Spanish class studied La Casa de Bernarda Alba last semester, we came to that same conclusion about Adela. I never researched it far enough though to see if critics interpreted Lorca's script that way, but it definitely seems as if she may be pregnant from the way he has her grab her stomach.

#52

re: REVIEWS: Bernarda Alba

Posted: 3/19/06 at 10:56pm

I agree about Sally Murphy. Her voice was overwhelmingly gorgeous in a sea of so-so's and character voices that didn't call for such pure beauty. I wish her character had more to do but I guess it's a fault of Lorca's and not Lachiusa.

#53

re: REVIEWS: Bernarda Alba

Posted: 3/19/06 at 10:59pm

It just seems that Lorca was so minimal on what his characters do, that saying "ADELA GRABS HER STOMACH" had to mean something. And if someone was killing a woman because she had a child out of wedlock and all, I would also grab my stomach (if I were a woman).

neo - Do you mean the ssex scene during "Open the Door"?

Maybe. It just seemed Adela had a huge reaction to Limbrada's Daughter that wouldn't come out of being a virgin.

#54

re: REVIEWS: Bernarda Alba

Posted: 3/19/06 at 11:00pm

SPOILER:

I loved the line, when Poncia says, "That girl is so nervous it's like she has a lizard between her tits!"

SO unexpected...made me laugh out loud (I think I said something like "HA!" before I could stop it) really loudly; hope I didn't startle the senior citizens sitting next to me. No one else laughed though.

#55

re: REVIEWS: Bernarda Alba

Posted: 3/19/06 at 11:01pm

Haha!

That line is actually straight from Lorca's work.
I laughed a lot when I read it.

But I also loved Candy's delivery of it!

I also love the repetition between "OPEN THE DOOR" and "THE STALLION" as the other daughters describe what's going on.

#56

re: REVIEWS: Bernarda Alba

Posted: 3/19/06 at 11:08pm

If "Open The Door" was her flamenco solo then that's what I mean. The more I think about it the more I consider her pregnant or at the very least not a virgin. While in Lorca's original text it seems very possible for her to be pregnant or at least not a virgin, LaChiusa's version with the way Daniela directed it and furthermore James' interpretation of the character make it seem like she isn't pregnant (and perhaps that she is a virgin) and is just worried about her future in her family, during "Limbrada's Daughter", because of what she plans to do.

#57

re: REVIEWS: Bernarda Alba

Posted: 3/19/06 at 11:10pm

I loved Candy's ability to deliver some of her lines so bluntly and then to deliver some of her lines in manipulative ways, especially in speaking to Bernarda. Her choices and execution were impeccable.

#58

re: REVIEWS: Bernarda Alba

Posted: 3/19/06 at 11:13pm

No, her flamenco dance was during "ADELA" ("I'll wear my green dress!")

OPEN THE DOOR was right at the end, she was in white, rolling aroud on the floor..."He climbed on top"

Well, in either version, Adela isn't a virgin. And Bernarda is saying Adela is. It has to do with the repeated theme of the "bells " ringing, and how many times they ring. TWo for a virgin, or something. It has to do with protecting the family's reputation, which is BErnarda's purpose the whole show.

I loved Candy, but the problem was she seemed so in control of herself. Actually, it's more that Phylicia was so NOT in control.

Updated On: 3/19/06 at 11:13 PM

#59

re: REVIEWS: Bernarda Alba

Posted: 3/20/06 at 10:18am

SPOILERS

In terms of the ending, I can't explain what I didn't like about it. I almost felt like everyone was overacting. Yes, they were supposed to be upset about what happened, but it really took me out of the story at that point. BSo suggested the scene was too long, that might have played a part as well in me thinking it was overacting.

Candy was out when I saw it. Her understudy, Bertilla Baker, did a good job IMO. Again, it's one of those I can't really judge how she did in comparison to Candy, having never seen Candy. But I definitely got the both sides to her character, and loved her Thirty Odd Years.

"If there was a Mount Rushmore for Broadway scores, "West Side Story" would be front and center. It snaps, it crackles it pops! It surges with a roar, its energy and sheer life undiminished by the years" - NYPost reviewer Elisabeth Vincentelli

#60

re: REVIEWS: Bernarda Alba

Posted: 3/22/06 at 12:27pm

Overacting?! Your Daughter/sister hangs herself in the room next door. You hear it. You walk in and see her. It takes time to die if your neck doesn't snap. YOur body may twitch. You think they were overacting?! I hardly thing so. Also that scene can't be shorter. What do you cut out? All of it's intergral to the story.

Also Adela HAS to be a virgin by the end. She was bleeding all over her skirts. That suggests that she has a torn hyman, which means she was just deflowered. There's a big deal about "look at her skirts, look at her skirts". I think that's one of the reasons she's in white. So if Pepe didn't come to screw Adela, it begs the question,Who DID he come to see? I always thought he had seen Amelia. Martirio makes a little deal about it at some point.

Updated On: 3/22/06 at 12:27 PM

#61

re: REVIEWS: Bernarda Alba

Posted: 3/22/06 at 2:53pm

Well...to be honest, being in the shock stage, I would expect...at least 1 of 4...to be in a totally shocked/stunned reaction, just paralyzed, unable to move or speak. Really, everyone has a slightly different reaction in these situations, and providing contrasts I think would emphasize the sadness of the situation more, instead of just hearing the dominating of loud crying. I guess that aspect isn't the actor's faults though.

#62

re: REVIEWS: Bernarda Alba

Posted: 3/25/06 at 11:35pm

I just saw this tonight, so I'm bumping the thread up. I went to TKTS today and none of the shows I was interested in on Broadway were available, so I took a chance and saw this. I skimmed the reviews above, so forgive me for repeating anything.

First, the 90 minutes absolutely FLEW by. My dad (who I took for his birthday) said when it was over "That's it?" not because he didn't like it, but he couldn't believe how quickly the time had flown. The whole experience is very gripping. I, for one, LOVED the music. This was my first LaChiusa play (I have the recordings of all his other shows, but haven't seen any of them.), and it makes me want to see the others. I kept thinking throughout how much I enjoyed the score, and I'm not sure that if I had listened to it without seeing it I would have enjoyed it as much. The flamenco style influences (the clapping/snapping/stomping) were brilliant. I LOVED the choreography - so much was said through dance about the sexuality of the characters that couldn't be verbalized by them (I'm not one to usually "get" dance, so let me have my moment here).
The acting was universally great. I loved the racial-blind casting here - it totally worked in this case. Casting Daphne as the "ugly" daughter worked because of the way her voice contrasts with the other sisters -- brilliant!
My only qualm really was with the book - which I attribute to the original play (though I've never seen/read it). I thought the ending was VERY obvious. The foreshadowing was so blatant in costume choice, in the horse metaphor, in what happened to the neighbor - it was like hitting you over the head with what was coming. Maybe that was the point - the inevitabillity of it all.
And I still don't get the grandmother's role - anyone have any thoughts on this?

Can't wait for the CD....!

Hi, Shirley Temple Pudding.

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