Review of House of Bernarda Alba by Wild Rice: Good effort and impactful

The impressive set by Wong Chee Wai awaited the audience upon entering the Drama Centre.   Wild Rice has in the past years featured an all male cast in The Importance of Being Ernest, this year the company had an all women cast in The House of Bernada Alba.  Written by Federico Garcia Lorca and adapted by Chay Yew, director Glen Goei's production was tight.  Certain scenes were too angst-sy, probably a few quieter moments would be good.

The ensemble did a good job.  It is good to see Margaret Chan again on stage, though her scenes were limited.  Claire Wong did have the authority figure on stage.
The 5 daughters were played by Neo Swee Lin, Glory Ngim, Noorlinah Mhamed, Karen Tan and Serene Chen. Most were seasoned actors but a few looked too old for the roles.   I felt Noorlinah Mohamed gave the best performance as Mrtirio, who played the jealous sister well but at the sme time gained our sympathy.  Jo Kukathas played loyal servant, where her last few scenes with Bernada Alba were strong and moving. The ensemble also included Sharda Harrison and Sharon Lim.

This is a well-staged production. Can be a bit overwhelming at times, but still enjoyable.