The House of Bernarda Alba

The theme of the dysfunctional family is one that has appeared in many art forms and is also the subject of scrutiny in Rona Munro’s second translation of Frederico Garcia Lorca’s 1936 drama, The House of Bernarda Alba. Directed by John Tiffany, this production brings a classic text into the 21st century, with a deliciously decadent Scottish edge.

In Munro’s reimagining of Lorca’s play, the story is updated to the present day and moved to the criminal underworld of Glasgow’s East End. Following the gangland execution of her husband Tony, Bernie Alba (Siobhan Redmond) attempts to protect her family by taking over the family business. As she brokers a deal that will secure her family’s fortune, her five adult daughters begin a slow descent into rivalry and jealousy, which ultimately leads to tragedy.

Perhaps the best known of all of Lorca’s plays, The House of Bernarda Alba was written following Lorca’s own observations of "women in the villages of Spain," and is dominated by a strong sense of tradition, community and sexual repression. It’s these themes that are also prevalent in Munro’s modern interpretation, but while the repression in Lorca’s original play is undeniably sexual, it’s the taboo of love, rather than the physical act, that becomes the unobtainable desire for Bernie’s daughters and makes for compelling viewing.

While the tension of this piece flows throughout the play and often seeps through Munro’s cutting and comedic language, it is overshadowed by the production’s pace. Whilst the first act is initially slow to start, the second act proves much faster and the action more concentrated than its predecessor, giving the play an uneven and disjointed tempo. Laura Hopkins’ white living-room set, complete with leather chairs, shimmering shag pile and hidden club lighting is the perfect platform for a family driven by greed and lost in excess. Under Tiffany’s direction, the female cast excel in their roles as literal prisoners, forced to stay in their own home by a dominating and intimidating mother. It’s Redmond’s turn, though, as the embittered and brutal Alba matriarch that makes up for the play’s slow start and disproportionate acts.