The theater department's rendition of Blood Weddings, by Spanish playwright Federico Garcia Lorca is an intense production of an already emotionally loaded story. All aspects of the show--including the acting, makeup and set design--are effective in expressing the emotion involved in the play's main conflict between desire and reality. The principle actors are all convincing, but the two lead actresses Caroline Haubold and Kymberlie Stansell are the standout performers. As the groom's mother, Haubold not only executes the part of a grieving and angry woman, but also provides necessary comic relief when appropriate.
The show is divided between the plot acted out by the lead actors and Lorca's poetry performed by the supporting cast. Unfortunately, these performers are overly dramatic in a manner typical of many college actors. While the leads are able to act out the plot of the play, the rest of the ensemble should have concentrated on delivering their poetic lines as opposed to prancing around the stage, overdoing every movement.
The scenery is well done and is a vast improvement over many of the other productions that have been put on recently in Sheafer Theater. The music, a live guitar, is an asset as well, adding to the emotion of each scene without distracting from the action. The few lyrics are in Spanish, along with sporadic phrases which are helpful in reminding the audience of the play's origin.
The theatrical importance of Blood Weddings will be apparent to all those who have any knowledge of Spanish theater or literature, but the style of Lorca's play may seem emotional and outlandish to those unfamiliar with it. Death and the moon are characters in the play, and their sudden appearance in the third act can be somewhat confusing to the viewer. In fact, a little boy in the audience cried upon death's appearance onstage.
As often as inexperience is evident in productions on campus, Director Rafael Lopez-Barrantes' skill and experience shows up in Blood Weddings. Compared to performances done completely by students, this play has a polished and professional quality that comes from the involvement of a theater professor. The play is the final product of a semester's worth of work by Professor Barrantes' theater studies class, and he is very pleased and proud with the results. He chose this particular work to perform because he believes it can appeal to young adults such as Duke students, who are in the process of making decisions between desire and obligation.
Performances of Blood Weddings will be held April 1-3 at 8 p.m. and April 4 at 2 p.m., in Sheafer Theater, located in the Bryan Center.
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