It is one month before Federico Garcia Lorcas death and he has just completed his latest play, The House of Bernarda Alba. At a party, he is curious to know what his friends think and decides to have them act out his now-famous story of theatres most controlling mother, Bernarda Alba, and her five daughters.
It is not unusual for young performers at the fringe to portray characters that range throughout the age spectrum while tackling well-known classics. The young actors of the Dang Nabbit Theatre Collective are all quite talented and should be commended for taking on such a heavy drama. They do their best with the material and are, for the most part, quite successful.
That being said, The House of Bernarda Alba is a play that leans on the believability of the actress who portrays Bernarda Alba. When done right, this play can be absolutely chilling. While the actress playing Bernarda Alba gave a strong performance, her youth made it difficult to completely immerse oneself into the play. Furthermore, the actress playing the mad grandmother looked as if she was twelve years. Absolutely no attempt was made to age either Bernarda or her mother. It is a minor detail, but one that would have enhanced the overall production greatly.
