Blood Wedding

Frederico Garcia Lorca describes duende as a force not a labour, a struggle not a thought - the duende surges up inside from the soles of the feet.

One can sense that Lorca’s play Blood Wedding is full of this ‘mysterious force that everyone feels and no philosopher has explained’. But unfortunately Iain Sinclair’s production of this Spanish classic falls short and rather than being full of passion it feels more like an academic display of what he thinks Lorca is all about.

The cast are solid, with Leah Purcell the jewel in the crown of an ensemble cast. Holly Fraser and Lynette Curran are also standouts. Andrew Veivers’ music creates that beautiful syncopated Spanish rhythm and pace. Damien Cooper’s lighting design is clever and creates an ethereal and mysterious mood in the second act. 


But Sinclair’s direction, while competent in many respects, doesn’t elicit that deep unbridled passion which is so evident in the script and for the audience this is the difference between just watching and being swept away by the story.

Whitney Fitzsimmons

Images: (top) Yalin Ozucelik, Lynette Curran & Sophie Ross (lower) Andrew Veivers & Leah Purcell. Photographer: Brett Boardman.

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