The House of Bernarda Alba

this is london“This dignified interpretation never catches fire... ” While there are moments of intensity, the operatic qualities of Lorca rarely come across, and the atmosphere of tragic repression isn't fully developed...

Whatsonstage.com“The focus lags...” A production that, while visually impressive and eventually harrowing, gets somewhat tangled in its transition and proves more effective at uncovering Lorca's sexual politics that those of contemporary Iran...

The Telegraph“Misguided hijacking of Lorca’s punishing Spanish classic...” The Oscar-nominated Iranian actress Shohreh Aghdashloo almost entirely misses the mother’s cruel vindictiveness, and looks far too glamorous to play the old boot...

The Stage“This grimly gripping play is given a stifling intensity...” Arrestingly relocates the action to rural Iran, adding to its sense of otherworldliness and the overpowering sense of traditional roles for its women to follow...

Time Out“A shockingly rare sight...” Lorca, who was murdered by Franco's nationalists soon after completing the play, probably had his country in mind when sketching this simmering house. And it's the wider context that sings in this thrilling staging, which is eloquent and justified...

The Observer“Emily Mann's new version is uncompromisingly direct... ” It is hard to imagine a more perfect House of Bernarda Alba than this one – an oppressively Iranian reconfiguring of Lorca's Spain...

The Arts Desk“The show cuts to the quick...” Bertish excels in a company that is oddly hit-and-miss, at times falling either into blankness (several of Bernarda's quintet of spinster children barely register) or posturing...

Financial Times“A number of fine performances... ” There is more here than in the original, but less more, so to speak, than one might expect...

The Independent“Mesmerically haunting and handsome production...” The production is a marvel of carefully built-up, beautifully lit atmosphere. I nearly jumped out of my skin at the moment (electrifyingly time here) when Hara Yannas, excellent as the doomed rebel, stamps the matriarchal cane in two...

Guardian“A riveting evening...” What I like about Sheibani's production is its clarity. Each scene begins with the click of a camera shutter and a flash of light, as if we are indeed watching the "photographic document" that Lorca intended...