A perfect show for a strong female cast, BERNARDA ALBA is a masterwork by Michael John LaChiusa, who has brought us such critically acclaimed hits as THE WILD PARTY and MARIE CHRISTINE. LaChiusa brings a musical voice to Federico Garcia Lorca's final 1936 masterpiece, The House of Bernarda Alba, through pulsing castanets, trilling Spanish guitars and resounding rhythmic stomps. BERNARDA ALBA tells the tales of a powerful matriarch, who imposes a strict rule on her household following her second husband's funeral: "Not a breath of outside air is going to enter this house. It's going to feel like we've bricked up the doors and windows," she proclaims. Bernarda's five daughters, however, struggle with her cold wishes. The girls' dreams and desires challenge their mother's harsh rules and the outside world begins to slowly permeate their isolated existence.
The score is influenced by Spanish folk song and flamenco: vocally, this requires versatility from each actor.
Cast Requirements: PRINCIPALS
3 Women
3 Men
ENSEMBLE
While the original production was presented with a cast of only six, a singing-dancing ensemble as large as desired can easily be incorporated.
COMMENTS
The characters are identified in the script and the score by the names of the actors who created the roles. For the purposes of your production, you may want to identify them by the names of your actors.
CHARACTERS
Heather
Michelle
Kim
Seth
Michael
Tom
Set Requirements: BERNARDA ALBA takes place in a house in a small village in rural Spain, 1930s.
"The set must be minimal: a bare stage, planked with wood; a cyclorama of a white stucco wall with a large oak door in the center; ten chairs. The orchestra should be seated above and behind the playing area, in view."
Genre / Style: Musical Drama, 1930's Spain
Rehearsal / Orchestral Material: Rehearsal Set
20 Libretto Book
2 PIANO VOCAL SCORE
Orchestra Set (10 Books)
1 PIANO VOCAL SCORE
1 REED
1 GUITAR
1 VIOLA
1 CELLO I
1 CELLO II
1 BASS
1 HARP
1 PERCUSSION
Musical Numbers: Prologue, The Funeral, On The Day That I Marry, Bernarda's Prayer, Love, Let Me Sing You, Let Me Go To The Sea, Magdalena, Angustias, Amelia, Martirio, Adela