‘Sangre’ Sears, in Spanish

A murder occurred in the Agassiz Theatre this past weekend. “Bodas de Sangre” began as an unexciting stage drama. But the second act was filled with all the blood and aggression characteristic of a crime of passion—and by the end, nobody was complaining.

“Bodas de Sangre” (“Blood Wedding”), written by the Spanish genius Federico Garcia Lorca in 1932, premiered as the first all-Spanish play to have ever been performed in a Harvard theatre.

Directed by Christopher N. Hanley ’07-’08 and produced by Julie Ann Crommett ’08, “Bodas de Sangre” is the inaugural production of Harvard College TEATRO!, a new student organization that presents Spanish plays at Harvard in their original language.

A tale about love, suffering, and betrayal (I promise it’s nothing like the typical Spanish telenovela), “Bodas de Sangre” is a haunting story about a wife-to-be who leaves her fiancée at the altar and escapes with her ex-lover. A bitter and violent rivalry ensues between the two families. Lorca’s obsessions with murder, death, and the role of women in society are central themes in the play.

The Agassiz production began weakly with a confusing blend of discordant singing, incomprehensible dialogue, and insecure acting. By the second half, however, the actors became a lot more comfortable on stage (and thankfully sang very little), paving the way for solid performances and a captivating if morbid ending.

The women in “Bodas de Sangre” all dominated the stage. The lead female actor, Gabriela Bortolamedi ’10, convincingly portrayed the Bride. Although it was occasionally evident that “Bodas” was her first play, she pulled through strongly in the final scenes and gave a disturbingly good performance as a woman gone mad.

But the night’s strongest acting was not that of Bortolamedi, but rather of Gabriela B. Tantillo ’09, who played the deranged Mother. Tantillo effortlessly conveyed the Mother’s emotional deterioration throughout the play, and provided a chilling finale as she told the Wife, “You can cry with me, but do it at the door.”

The men’s acting in “Bodas de Sangre” was not up to par with the women’s. The leading actor, Matthew S. Blumenthal ’08, was adequate as the ex-lover Leonardo. His performance was compromised by garbled speech and a sometimes-incomprehensible accent.

The performance of the Groom (Roberto Travieso ’08) was for the most part unconvincing. Ironically, he excelled at the most challenging part of the play: his final breakdown before he set out to murder Leonardo.

Three actors with smaller roles deserve praise for their interpretations. Nina L. Vizcarrondo ’08, who is a former Crimson news editor, masterfully played Mujer, Leonardo’s wife. She was one of the better actresses in the entire production.

Professor of Romance Languages Elena M. Brito was a very convincing Mother-in-law, and her experience on the stage was very evident. Lastly, Adrienne White ’09 comically portrayed the maid Criada, and although she struggled a little with her Spanish, gave a very strong performance throughout the night.

Although the set design (by Hanley) was very simple, it stayed true to Garcia Lorca’s style and symbolism. An obsession with white, so common in Lorca’s plays and poems, was evident in the white hanging curtains, and provided a beautiful touch.

The costumes (designed by Joanna Marquina ’10), though mostly faithful to Garcia Lorca’s symbolism, were at times over-the-top, especially the Bride’s humongous black dress.

The lighting, designed by Nicholas J. Shearer ’09, was amazing. Several times throughout the show, the stage and the audience were drenched in a thick red light, foreshadowing the bloodbath of the final scenes. The use of magnified shadows to prefigure actors’ entrances onto the stage was also a nice touch.

The major strength of the Agassiz production came from its close adherence to its original script, which is sheer entertainment on its own. However, many scenes in the first act of “Bodas de Sangre” were loaded with so much incoherent action that it made the play seem more like satire than a tragedy. But the play did pull through in the end, and the successes of the final act were sure to capture the audience—even if the sight of blood did happen to make them a little queasy.