Blood Wedding: A Filipino Twist on a Spanish Classic

            On Sunday during the matinee showing of Blood Wedding at the Odyssey Theatre last July 3^rd, I had the immense pleasure of watching Federico Garcia Lorca’s classic play ( new translation by Tanya Ronder) directed by Jon Lawrence Rivera. The play is a tale about a young groom who weds his bride and the familial discussions about their wedding.  On the night of their wedding, the bride runs away with an ex-lover, who incidentally is married to the brides’ cousin. As the bride and lover proclaim their love for each other in the forest, the groom discovers them and the two men fighting for the brides’ love end up stabbing each other. The funeral takes place and the bride in her blood soaked wedding gown makes an appearance, much to the horror of the grooms’ mother.

This production was trying to communicate not only intense and profound feelings about the complications of love between a man and woman but also the intricacy involved when families , relatives and friends are invested in the marital union. The directors choice to  infuse the rich Filipino culture to the main characters ( Groom, Bride, Mother and Father)  and the play itself was a wonderful surprise and spoke directly to me, being that I identify with the culture.      In the opening scene the mother, as she sits removing the stems from some long beans sings a Filipino classic song entitled “Dahil sa Yo”, which translates to “Because of You”. This song is about unconditional love which foreshadows the love the mother has for her only living son. When the grooms’ mother and the brides’ father first meet, the heavy Filipino accent of the father is evident as they both salute their children’s’ union using even the props of a popular Filipino beer brand, San Miguel Beer. When the day of the wedding arrives, the bride, groom, mother and father all wear traditional Filipino garb, the long sleeved embroidered shirts made of pineapple fiber called the Barong and the women in their butterfly sleeved dresses. At the wedding reception a large roasted pig called “lechon” is also presented as the centerpiece for the table. When the bride goes missing, everyone moves in and out of the space and the father repeatedly says “ Anak, Nasaan ka?” ,which translates to “ Child, where are you?”. These examples given above serve as evidence that the director being  Filipino himself uses his culture to enrich the play’s structure through the addition of a Philippine song, props, costumes and tagalog (Philippine dialect) dialogue.

  I was so moved by the production I couldn't help but give the cast a standing ovation! The production of Rivera’s Blood Wedding successfully communicated the underlying tension and intensity of the character’s situations.  I was in tears during the show and was also giddy by all the Filipino touches the director infused. It was such a pleasure to watch because every moment was riveting! The blocking was simple yet lyrical, particularly when between the scenes, the cast moved in syncopated fashion utilizing wooden chairs. The casting  was refreshingly diverse and spot on and the actors-immensely talented. The nature of the play ( tragedy) makes it very easy for an actor to overact, however all the emotions portrayed were truthful  and honest. Derrick Mc Daniels’  light design was simply magical with streams of blood red  during climatic moments and hues of blue when the  full moon appeared. John H. Binkleys’ set design was eerie and very dramatic with a stage that was made of wooden slats forming a circular elevated stage and was brought to life by the actor’ full use of the space.

The productions’ attempt is without a doubt worth making because  the Odysseys’ Blood Wedding  suspended  my world from start to finish! The show is successful because it combined professionally superior elements of acting, direction, sound, lighting and set design into a believable and cohesive world. The one and a half hours I sat in that theatre was like a rollercoaster of emotions and for a production to be able to engage a viewer in that way makes for a very meaningful experience. I believe that the play will not only speak to people who are knowledgeable about the Filipino culture but also to people who understand the complications between the love of a parent and child or have felt the heartache that unrequited and forbidden love summons. These universal themes of tragedy are always present no matter what time or era but Jon Lawrence Rivera’s strong directorial approach combined with all the other elements mentioned beforehand eternalizes these themes to a hilt in this visually beautiful, heart wrenching and engrossing production of Lorcas’ Blood Wedding. It's still showing till the 18th of this month at the Odyssey Theatre in West LA!