Not enough Iran in this Iranian take on Loraca's classic says Naima Khan in her review of The House of Bernarda Alba at Almeida Theatre
Bijan Sheibani's Iranian take on the rural classic is almost as heavy on the symbolism as Lorca's original The House of Bernarda Alba. And its rural setting proves to be an irksome constraint. Nonetheless this production is beautifully designed by Bunny Christie, superbly acted with a uniformly strong cast and, together under Sheibani's direction, they form a series of ghostly and disturbing images of what the characters insist becomes of “women without men”.
But in Emily Mann's version the daughters of Bernarda Alba are more than that; they are women without hope. This production is pregnant with desperation and a need for these people to see a future beyond their own restrictive four walls, and because they are women, firmly in the grip of Bernarda's iron fist, marriage is the only way out. They gossip relentlessly about the villagers and each other, shedding quite explicitly any facade of a sisterhood. Men protect each other, the girls say, women not so much. The so-called sisterhood manifests itself in cursory support and mild, unimpassioned defence when it's called for. But in their world competition is fierce and when the one eligible bachelor in the village sets his sights on the oldest and plainest of the sisters, the one who stands to inherit the most money, the gloves come off.
And when they do, the cast unravel in a choreographed whirlwind of chaos. Amanda Hale gives a standout performance as the quieter sister, Elmira, whose sexual frustration simmers ominously beneath her loyalty and pragmatism. Equally, Hara Yannas as the youngest, Adela, determined not to follow the path of her elder sisters, gives passionate speeches about what lies ahead, while she slinks around close to the walls, set on exiting from the periphery as soon as she can. But the one constant force of frightening power and determination is Shohreh Agdashloo as the beautiful and unconquerable Bernarda.
As with the original, though the sisters are distinct, some of them are underwritten. But the more apparent deficiency is that in this Iranian version, we don't learn enough about Iran. The village created here could be any village with the same issues of power, reputation, and money. Swathes of mourners in black are replaced by five virginal girls in white but other than the now familiar image of women in burkhas en masse, it could happen anywhere. More could be made of the reasons behind such segregation and its contradictions. Similarly, when Adela swans around in a vibrant green dress that alludes to the liberation promised by Moussavi's party during the Iranian elections, it feels like a promise of more to come. But we're short changed on that front as neither the design nor the script makes use of further opportunities to impress on us the Iranian relevance of the story and the characters. The programme on the other hand, does a great job.
The House of Bernarda at The Almeida Theatre runs until 10th March 2011
Image by Johan Persson
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