It’s probably a nifty idea to transpose The House of Bernarda Alba, Lorca’s fine drama of female oppression, to modern-day Pakistan. I say "probably" because this staging of Sudha Bhuchar’s adaptation is so inept it’s hard to see or hear what is happening.
One might have thought director Kristine Landon-Smith, who founded British-Asian company Tamasha with Bhuchar 21 years ago, would have learned that allowing a significant part of the action to unfold at the back of the stage behind a wall wasn’t the brightest idea. Likewise, positioning a sofa so that all we can see are the backs of the actresses’ heads. The projection is poor and the blocking hapless and sometimes we fear this all-female cast will collectively run out of energy before they reach the end of a scene.
Still, Lorca’s account of a tyrannical mother trapping five unwed adult daughters inside a house resembling a jail gradually resounds in its Punjabi setting. In this Muslim shame culture, women are prized for their virginity and dowry, a patriarchal set-up that widowed Bilquis (Ila Arun) upholds ferociously. These daughters might have mobile phones but their link to the outside world is only illusory.
Until August 14. Information: 020 7722 9301. hampsteadtheatre.com
The House Of Bilquis Bibi
Hampstead Theatre
Eton Avenue, Swiss Cottage, NW3 3EU
