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Andrew Veivers & Leah Purcell

Kenneth Spiteri & Leah Purcell

POSTED: 07 AUGUST 2011

Blood Wedding, by Federico Garcia Lorca | Translated and directed by Iain Sinclair

Sydney Theatre Company | Wharf 1, Walsh Bay, Sydney | Until 11 September

The word at front of mind as we leave the theatre is “forceful” ... forceful characters, unrelenting forces of nature, even tour de force of writing and performing, if I can be forgiven the cliche. And that’s mainly because the second act, a powerhouse of classical myth and lyricism, is still resonating in our senses.

Blood Wedding is thought to be based on an incident that happened in 1928 in a small Spanish town. A young woman is marrying a local farmer, while secretly in love with another man, her cousin. At the last moment she decides to abandon her groom and elope with her lover, but as they leave the church they are intercepted by a brother, who shoots the lover to preserve the family’s honour.

The incident provides a base for Lorca to explore his vision of Duende, the mysterious forces of emotion, which good ol’ Wikipedia tells me have four elements — “irrationality, earthiness, a heightened awareness of death, and a dash of the diabolical.” Yes, that sounds just about right.

Leah Purcell, who plays the mother of the groom, is all of these things at once ... a tempest  of passion, fears and forcefulness. Family, friends and neighbors live in awe and a little dread of her. Certainly apply the “tour de force” to Purcell’s strong performance.

Lynette Curran is such an utterly convincing professional. Who else is so “in the moment” as she is on stage? And Holly Fraser, who takes on an immense challenge as the ethereal moon, chills us stone dead, as her voice — projecting such childish innocence — contrasts with her ghoulish, blood-soaked garb.

Not that the audience is faced with gore or violence, as the title and setting might suggest. In fact, the blood and killing is all “elsewhere” — to be imagined and arguably worse than the real thing. All very cleverly conceived stagecraft and ... yes ... incredibly forceful.

It’s only in retrospect that I fully appreciate how integral the music is to the dramatic experience.

First, the flamenco guitar that is playing as we enter and get seated. Subconsciously we are in Spain before we even begin.

Then the passionate cantatas and the rhythmic flamenco clapping that are used to build tension, create joy, convey celebration, and segue between scenes.

I recall the wedding feast scene. The raucous staccato clap, as guests dance and laugh, drops, suddenly, to a pianissimo tap when Mother (Purcell) enters the room and guests tensely wait to see her mood. Then the clapping flares to forte, as she throws off her shawl, clicks her heels, and struts into in a flamenco stamp that thrills.

This is not an easy dramatic piece, and the audience has to work hard, tracking the figurative and interpreting the poetic, but the experience is absolutely worth the effort.

Sophie Ross

Leah Purcell, Kenneth Spiteri & Sophie Ross

Sophie Ross & Lynette Curran

Leah Purcell

Yalin Ozucelik, Lynette Curran & Sophie Ross