By James V. Ruocco
Two of London's female theatre greats - Harriet Walter and Jemma Redgrave - are set to grace the West End Stage in two very different dramatic productions.
One arrives mid-September. The other in November.
Walter will headline a brand-new revival of Federico Garcia Lorca's three-act tragedy "The House of Bernarda Alba" while Redgrave will star in the world premiere presentation of Marek Horn's "Octopolis."
Set to play the National Theater this November. "The House of Bernarda Alba" - the final work of Lorca's "trilogy of the Spanish homeland" - was completed 19 June 1936 just two months before the playwright's death (he was brutally murdered) during the Spanish Civil War. It officially premiered 8 March 1945 at the Avenida Theatre in Buenos Aires.
As the play opens, Bernarda Alba, the 60-year-old matriarch of the house of Andalusia has imposed an eight-year mourning period on the entire household following the death of her second husband. In accordance with family tradition, all five daughters are prohibited to form any kind of relationship - casual or sexual - with any member of the opposite sex including Pepe el Romano, the love interest of Bernarda's angst-ridden daughters and the actual suitor of Angustias, her 39-year-old unattractive daughter.
This being a tragedy as penned by the controversial Lorca, tension mounts, as does the sexual aggravations and claustrophobic frustrations of five women being confined to the house alongside a mad, controlling mother, a crazy grandmother and a very concerned and understanding housekeeper.
Walter will play the lead role of Bernarda Alba.
Known primarily for her extensive work with the Royal Shakespeare Company, Walter's London stage credits include "Twelfth Night," "Three Sisters," "Life x 3," "Mary Stuart," "Macbeth" and "Antony and Cleopatra."
On television, she is best known for appearances on "Succession," "Killing Eve," "Ted Lasso," "Downtown Abbey," "The Crown," "Law and Order: UK," "Patrick Melrose" and "London Spy."
Olivier Award-winner Rebecca Frecknall ("Cabaret," "A Streetcar Named Desire") will direct the National Theatre production which features a completely revised script by Alice Birch ("Normal People," "Dead Ringers").
"The House of Bernarda Alba" will begin its limited engagement at the National Theatre (Lyttleton Theatre, South Bank, London, UK) 16 November 2023 and run through 6 January 2024.
Performances are 7:30 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays and 2:15 p.m. Wednesdays and Saturdays.
Tickets are £49 to £89.
For advance reservations and more information, call 020 7452-3961.
(Jemma Redgrave To Star on World Premiere Drama "Octopolis.")
Octopus intelligence as seen through the eyes of a brilliant, behavioral biologist and her recently deceased husband is the story conceit behind Marek Hunt's world premiere drama "Octopolis" which finds Jemma Redgrave trying to make sense of it all alongside an ambitious anthropologist (Ewan Miller) anxious to prove his worth by introducing new ideas and theories to the ongoing university octopus' project.
"I'm so pleased that Jemma Redgrave and Ewan Miller will star in this fiercely smart and soulful play, as scientists from differing disciplines who form an intense bond as they study the same octopus," explains "Octopolis" director Ed Madden, best known for the stage productions of "Yellowfin," "A Table Tennis Play" "A Number" and "The World's Wife."
" 'Octopolis' is a proper theatrical workout for the heart and mind and needs two stage animals at its centre."
Redgrave's previous theatre credits include "The Cherry Orchard," "Mood Music," "Farewell to the Theatre," "Easter," "Our Town," "The Three Sisters," A Midsummer Night's Dream" and "An Ideal Husband."
On television, the actress has appeared on "Doctor Who," "Grantchester," "Holby City," "Bramwell," "Cold Blood" and "Silent Witness."
Miller made his London stage debut in the National Theatre's production of "Much Ado About Nothing." He has also appeared in "The Comedy of Errors" and "A Christmas Carol."
"Octopolis" will kick off its limited engagement at the Hampstead Theatre (Eton Avenue, Swiss Cottage, Downstairs, London, UK) 15 September and run through 28 October 2023.
Performances are 7:45 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays and 2:45 p.m. Thursdays and Saturdays.
Tickets are £10 to £25.
For advance reservations and more information, call 020 7722 9301.
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