The house of Bernarda Alba has had a makeover. If you are familiar with the 1936 play by Federico Garcia Lorca, you may gain new insights about it when you see ¡Bernarda!, its latest iteration by Teatro Vista. Emilio Williams’ script retains the elements and drama of the original, but stages it as if Lorca was in the modern world instead of in a century-old Spanish village. Director Wendy Mateo and the creative team have designed a sizzling ¡Bernarda! for today’s audience. This is a thrilling story about women’s lives and passions.
The stage itself—where the women of the household mourn the death of the patriarch—becomes a character in the drama, with four platforms angled and raked as if to suggest the turbulent mood of the household. (Scenic design by Lauren Nichols.) The actors—seven Latinas—perform in funereal dark but often revealing costumes, layered in black sheers, laces and solids. (Sarah Albrecht’s costumes are inventive.) The tilted walls are transparent scrims and projections by Erin Pleake tell part of the story. The lighting design, mournful, sensual and dramatic—is by Conchita Avitia. Isabel Patt is stage manager.
Finally, ¡Bernarda! reveals its contemporary nature when we realize the house is controlled by an electronic monitoring system, managed by the matriarch, Bernarda (Charin Alvarez), and Poncia (Stephanie Diaz), the household major domo. These two—mistress and maid—are compatriots and antagonists in the house of Bernarda Alba and clearly longtime partners in gossip. Alvarez, a veteran Chicago actor, and Diaz, a talented performer and puppeteer, are the power center of the play.
¡Bernarda! is set on the day of the funeral of Don Antonio Maria Benavides, which was quite an occasion, Poncia tells Carmelita, the younger housekeeper (Gabriela Diaz). People came from all the surrounding towns to pay their respects. Because of the death of their father and husband, the women of the house will be in a long period of mourning (not only black garments but black fans in the summer heat), which creates a mood of claustrophobia in the household. Poncia and Carmelita provide commentary (with and without eye-rolling by Poncia) and serve as a sort of Greek chorus.
The four sisters—ages 20 to 39—are all single. Local men are not appropriate husbands for Bernarda’s daughters, who have some share of the family wealth. “The men around here are not of their class. I can’t give them away to the first loser who shows up,” she tells Poncia.
The mourning doesn‘t keep the sisters from squabbling and occasionally behaving badly. Angustias (Claudia Quesada), the eldest (and potentially the richest) should be married first and she is being courted by a local man, Pepe el Romano (we never meet him). But her youngest sister, Adela (Alix Rhode) has eyes for him too. Magdalena (Sonya Madrigal) never wants to marry and can’t wait to escape from the village. Martirio (Ayssette Muñoz) is sick and medicated. Bernarda’s mother, Maria Josefa, is locked in her room, living in some level of madness; she is also played by Alvarez.
Mateo’s direction does justice to this streamlined, mournful but sexy version of Lorca’s work. The two lead actors—Charin Alvarez and Stephanie Diaz—do a masterful job with their roles. And the cast as a whole is excellent.
Playwright Williams, a resident playwright at Chicago Dramatists, has had plays produced in Chicago and all over the world. His other works include Your Problem With Men, Medea’s Got Some Issues and Smartphones – a pocket-size farce.
¡Bernarda! is co-presented by Teatro Vista with Steppenwolf Theatre. The play has been extended through December 3 at Steppenwolf’s 1700 Theater, 1700 N. Halsted St. Tickets are $40 with a limited number of $20 Teatro for All tickets. Teatro for All is an initiative to offer affordable tickets to students, artists, seniors or anyone on a tight budget. Running time is 75 minutes with no intermission.
For more information on this and other plays, see theatreinchicago.com.
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