The Genesian Theatre Company’s new production is a revival of ‘The House of Bernarda Alba’, a play by the great Spanish playwright Frederico Garcia Lorca.

This Lorca work is set in a remote Spanish farm village during the early part of the twentieth century, prior to the Spanish civil war. The tragedy traces the course of the destruction of the family of Bernarda Alba following the death of her husband. Living, as the family has, in an atmosphere of suppressed emotion, the Alba women, which includes Bernarda, her aged, mad mother and five spinster daughters, are ill equipped to handle the strain of losing the head of their household.

Lorca’s play is a multi-layered piece, working as a family drama and then, on another, greater level as a metaphor of the repression taking place in Spain at the time. The fiercely conservative Bernarda represents the rise of fascism and the daughters represent those in society rebelling against this oppression.

Barry Neilsen’s production was a strong Genesian production that conveyed Lorca’s complex and heavily symbolic play well. The all female cast kept up the intensity of the play through to its dramatic climax. The pick of the performances were Libby Daniewska as the fraught house maid caught up in the family drama, Kate Hall as the eldest and ‘targeted’ daughter, Angustias, and Marisa- Clare Berzins was strong in the meaty role of the feisty, youngest daughter, Adele. The performance of Golda Baker who played two roles, the grandmother and Prudencia, would have been served with tighter direction from Neilsen.

Production values were good. Grant Fraser and Barry Neilsen imposing set worked well, as did Michael Schell’s lighting and Susan Carveth’s costuming. Through the play there was the effective use of flamenco music with some original guitar pieces provided by Angel Garcia.

Frederico Garcia Lorca’s ‘The House Of Bernarda Alba’ plays the Genesian Theatre until November 14.