Blood Wedding - Theatre Review

 Omnibus Theatre, London

★★★★

Photo by: Phil Gammon

‘Life is made up by all the what ifs, never haves and maybes’ is what Brian claims when he breaks the fourth wall and addresses the audience. It’s a painful thought, full of potential regret, and one that involves looking in the past rather than marching forward. Barney Norris’ adaptation of Blood Wedding takes place in a village on the edge of Salisbury Plain, transporting Federico García Lorca’s tragedy to modern day England in an attempt to indicate the timeless nature of the original’s themes and that only by resolving what has come before are we able to move forward.

Georgie and Rob are a young couple looking for a venue to hold their wedding reception. Although Rob’s mother, Helen, has some reservations regarding how quickly the wedding is happening, the couple follows their hearts and decides to waste no time waiting. The jolly atmosphere turns sour when Georgie’s ex, Lee, and his partner Danni show up unexpectedly and are invited to the reception by a clueless Rob. The day of the wedding comes and Georgie confronts Lee, both of them realising that their feelings for one another are still very much present. But they have no idea what kind of tragedy awaits them.

There is an equality created among the different characters and their respective stories. Georgie and Rob, Danni and Lee, Brian and his deceased wife, Rob’s mother and her ex husband, all of them get their rightful time and space onstage. That’s connected to the general direction provided by Tricia Thorns, which focuses on balance, especially when it comes to balancing the dark nature of Lorca’s original with comedy that brings out a certain lightness. The use of space is refreshing, having the actors get close to the audience and at times entering and exiting through the corridor between the audience’s seats, without complicating the realistic sense of direction created.

The chemistry and trust among the cast members is a delight to watch. Christopher Neenan’s professional debut is an undeniable success as naive, love-struck Rob and Nell Williams’ Georgie has a sensibility that makes us really connect with the character. Alix Dunmore, as Helen, Esme Lonsdale, as Danni, and Kiefer Moriarty, as Lee, support the story gracefully. David Fielder, as hall caretaker Brian, really elevates the play with a performance that flips effortlessly from hilarious to deeply touching. However, his character transformation in the 2^nd act does feel like it’s dragging at times, though that’s more likely an issue of the adapted text rather than the performance itself.

On the other hand, this production lacks the sharpness and intensity of the original. It feels like the stakes are not high enough for the danger, risk and tragedy to fully have an effect on the audience. All members of the cast are brilliant at tapping on the everyday, more ordinary acting moments, but seem to rely too much on composed realism. Things seem to move slow and when they do, it’s simply following the plot of the play rather than an active choice made by a well-written and character.

Lighting design and set design, by Neill Brinkworth and Alex Marker respectively, assist in reinforcing the naturalistic nature of the narrative, with an exception towards the end of the production, where a more abstract and surreal approach is required to navigate the unsettling crescendo.

This production of Blood Wedding, though modern and resonant, doesn’t get to the bottom of the emotional depth that could shake us to our core. Still, the hard work of the creatives involved is evident and the contemporary elements of Norris’ adaptation are interesting and insightful.