Lorca on the London Stage: Problems of Translation and Adaptation

Abstract

In this article, Gwynne Edwards examines recent London productions of Lorca's Blood Wedding and The House of Bernarda Alba, two great Spanish plays which, in comparison with the works of Ibsen and Chekhov, are performed relatively rarely in the United Kingdom. He argues that, because these plays are among Lorca's rural tragedies and are deeply rooted in the soil and traditions of southern Spain, their performance and translation require a sound knowledge both of that background and of Lorca's dramatic style. In this context, the two productions at the Almeida and the National Theatre are seen to be a useful guide to the pitfalls of staging Lorca's plays in a cultural environment which is very different from his own. Gwynne Edwards is Professor of Spanish at the University of Wales, Aberystwyth, and a specialist in Spanish theatre. Ten of his translations of Lorca's plays have been published by Methuen, and most of these have had professional productions. A number of his translations of Golden Age and South American plays have also been published and performed.