Like his other classic tragedies, Federico Garcia Lorca's Yerma is set in his native Andalusia in the early 1930s. It probes in great depth a society still rooted in primitive customs and attitudes, by putting a few of its representative members under his creative microscope. Their passions span the millennia.
After two years of a made marriage, Yerma is still childless and beginning to panic. It is, she knows, her life's purpose to bear children. Her husband, Juan, feels no such pressure; he is content to work hard and prosper. He does, however, resent her harping on the subject as a reflection on his virility, and wishes her to stay indoors and serve him, as a dutiful wife should.
The years go by, and Yerma is desperate. The more she strives, through prayer and superstitious practices, to become pregnant, the more angry and alienated Juan becomes. They are on a path which can only lead downhill, and they cannot escape their bitter destiny.
This production, by the Galloglass Theatre Company, is a lucid and altogether convincing realisation of the author's several themes. Director Bairbre Ni Chaoimh, working from an excellent translation by David Johnston, guides her cast into fine interpretations and blends them seamlessly with puppets and masked characters, giving the whole a mythological flavour.
Fionnuala Murphy's Yerma is perhaps the best thing this talented actress has done to date. Mark D'Aughton, as Juan, continues to grow on stage; Ger Carey's Victor is a typically strong performance; Fiona Condon's Maria is a persuasive young mother; and Joan Sheehy's Pagan Woman is an early feminist of real strength. Together, they constitute a dramatic task force.
There is some atmospheric music by Trevor Knight and Theresia Guschlbauer's set design is eye-beguiling. It transforms the Parochial Hall, which is the third home of Galloglass, and probably their best yet in terms of space and possibilities. One wishes them well in it.
Transfers to Dublin's City Arts Centre on March 16th until March 20th, then goes on an extensive national tour.