The House of Bernarda Alba

Garcia Lorca described the play in its subtitle as a drama of women in the villages of Spain. The House of Bernarda Alba was Garcia Lorca's last play, completed on 19 June 1936, two months before his assassination during the Spanish Civil War. The play was first performed on 8 March 1945 at the Avenida Theatre in Buenos Aires.^[2][3] The play centers on the events of a house in Andalusia during a period of mourning, in which Bernarda Alba (aged 60) wields total control over her five daughters Angustias (39 years old), Magdalena (30), Amelia (27), Martirio (24), and Adela (20). The housekeeper (La Poncia) and Bernarda's elderly mother (María Josefa) also live there.


The deliberate exclusion of any male character from the action helps build up the high level of sexual tension that is present throughout the play. Pepe "el Romano", the love interest of Bernarda's daughters and suitor of Angustias, never appears on stage. The play explores themes of repression, passion, and conformity, and inspects the effects of men upon women.

Film and television adaptations include:


In 1967, choreographer Eleo Pomare adapted the play into his ballet, Las Desenamoradas,^[9] featuring music by John Coltrane.


British playwright Tom Stoppard wrote a new English adaptation of the play, which was first performed on March 21, 1973 at the Greenwich Theatre, London, directed by Robin Phillips.


The play was adapted as an opera, Bernarda Albas Haus, by Aribert Reimann; it premiered in 2000.^[10]


Steven Dykes wrote a production named 'Homestead' for the American Theatre Arts (ATA) students in 2004 which was revived in 2013 (The Barn Theatre). The original production went on to perform at The Courtyard in Covent Garden, with members of an ATA graduate company Shady Dolls.


In 2004 the play was adapted for a ballet staged by Ballet Nouveau Colorado with music composed by John Heins and choreography by Randall Newsom. Originally scored for solo piano, the composer performed live with the piano on stage as part of the set. The score has since been orchestrated. www.johnheins.com


In 2006, the play was adapted into musical form by Michael John LaChiusa. Under the title Bernarda Alba, it opened at Lincoln Center's Mitzi Newhouse Theater on March 6, 2006, starring Phylicia Rashad in the title role, with a cast that also included Daphne Rubin-Vega.^[11]


In 2012, Emily Mann adapted Federico García Lorca's original, shifting the location from 1930s Andalusia, Spain, to contemporary Iran. Her adaptation opened at the Almeida Theatre under the director Bijan Sheibani, starring Shohreh Aghdashloo as the title character and Hara Yannas as Adela.^[12]


In 2012 also, Ulises Cala adapted the play into a monologue theatrical production with title Las Hijas (the daughters) under the direction of Yoshvani Medina, starring veteran Venezuelan actress Sonya Smith^[13][14] The theatre play opened in ArtSpoken Performing Arts Center in Miami, Florida.


In August 2012, Hyderabad, India based theatre group Sutradhar staged Birjees Qadar Ka Kunba, an Urdu/Hindustani adaptation of The House of Bernarda Alba.^[15] Directed by Vinay Varma and scripted by Dr. Raghuvir Sahay, the play adapted Lorca's original to a more Indian matriarch family setup. The play boasted of a cast of more than 10 women actors with Vaishali Bisht as Birjees Qadar (Bernard Alba) and Deepti Girotra as Hasan baandi (La Poncia).^[16]


In 2018, dramatist Patricia Cornelius adapted The House of Bernarda Alba for Melbourne Theatre Company, retelling the story as a family drama set in a mining town in contemporary Western Australia.^[17] The adaptation was staged at the Fairfax Studio, and featured Candy Bowers as Martirio (renamed "Marti"), Peta Brady as Angustias (renamed "Angela"), Julie Forsyth as Poncia (renamed "Penelope"), Bessie Holland as Magdalena (renamed "Magda"), Sue Jones as Maria Josefa, Melita Jurisic as Bernarda Alba (renamed "Bernadette"), and Emily Milledge as Adela (renamed "Adele").^[18][19]


In 2019, Dulaang Unibersidad ng Pilipinas staged Lorca's "La Casa de Bernarda Alba" for its 44th theatre season under the direction of Alexander Cortez. 'The House of Bernarda Alba | Ang Tahanan ni Bernarda Alba' was translated by Daisy Lopez to English and translated by Alexander Cortez himself to Filipino.


In 2023, the Royal National Theatre staged a performance of The House of Bernarda Alba, adapted by Alice Birch. It starred Harriet Walter as Bernarda Alba, with Isis Hainsworth as Adela, Pearl Chanda as Magdalena, Lizzie Annis as Martirio, Eliot Salt as Amelia, and Rosalind Eleazar as Angustias, with Thusitha Jayasundera as Poncia and Bryony Hannah as the maid.^[20]