The House of Bernarda Alba (Pearl Theatre)

In 1936, just before his death, came Lorca’s masterpiece: The House of Bernarda Alba. It is a story of repression, a story of humanity’s violent, often tragic need to be free, a story of sexuality that will not be denied, and it is a story of Spain during its Civil War, of every kind of tyranny: familial, social, political. On the day of the funeral of her husband, Bernarda Alba resolves to enforce the strictest possible mourning, and slams closed the doors in the face of her five daughters’ hopes and passions. Bernarda worships the gods of gossip, of denial, of Puritanism, and the sheer will to be obeyed nails shut the windows that allow light into the soul. The struggle against oppression, the terrible consequence of life-long denial, are played out in stunning simplicity and a hard poetry of unforgiving realism, but as with other soaring tragedy, the final effect is a confirmation of the will to live, a call to arms for freedom and light.

Appropriate for audiences 12 and above.

There is no performance on Thursday, Feb 3.

For subscriptions to the Pearl Theatre Company’s 2004-2005 Season, click here.

For group sales, call Matthew Coleman, 212-505-3401, ext. 17 or email [email protected].