Playwright: Federico GarcÃa Lorca; Translation: Michael Dewell and Carmen Zapata. At: Lookingglass Theatre, 821 N. Michigan Ave. Tickets: 312-337-0665 or www.lookingglasstheatre.org; $40-$75. Runs through: April 24
Tony Award-nominated set designer Daniel Ostling ( Metamorphosis, Clybourne Park ) is making his Chicago directing debut at Lookingglass Theatre, and he's given himself a tough task by tackling Blood Wedding. The 1933 rural tragedy by Spanish gay poet Federico GarcÃa Lorca's is an odd bird of a play, and Ostling's Depression-era transplantation of it to California's Central Valley doesn't fully satisfy.
Part of the problem comes from the work itself, which, for the first two acts, is a straightforward parable of resentful rural types with mostly generic names like "The Bride's Father" and "The Bridegroom." But by the third act, Lorca goes all symbolist with personifications of The Moon ( Melisa Pereyra ) and Death himself ( Troy West ) both helping an angry mob's pursuit of two passionate lovers on the run.
As both director and set designer, Ostling succeeds at creating an uncomfortably austere atmosphere with two blunt wooden tower blocks in the background. Composer Rick Sims' folksy score is beautifully sung and largely in rendered in a minor mode, while the oppressiveness of the rustic community is represented by the ever-watchful cast seated around the jutting-out stage.
Yet it would have been advisable for Ostling to have introduced more symbolic visual elements to his production earlier on. A few third act elements like a suspended piano and characters in white-fright makeup prove to be incongruous visual contrasts to everything that has come before it. Transplanting everything to California doesn't seem to have helped or significantly hurt the work, either.
As for the performers, they have to walk a fine line between being general character types defined by their societal positions and fully-fleshed out individuals with interior wants and desires. Ostling doesn't seem to have provided a consistent approach to his actors, so some inevitably stand out more than they probably should.
As the widowed Bridegroom's Mother, Christine Mary Dunford dominates the action with her dour haughtiness and driving dreams of a slew of future grandchildren. Eva Barr also captures focus with her characterful and sympathetic approaches to the dual roles of The Neighbor and The Maid.
In the central love triangle involving The Bride ( Helen Sadler ), The Bridegroom ( Chance Bone ) and Leonardo ( Kareem Bandealy ), the woman comes off best since she's given the most dialogue expressing her torn feelings. The two men as written are largely laconic types, so they have the harder task of trying to get across their characters' internal conflicts.
Ostling's take on Blood Wedding is one more to admire for the technical and interpretive skills of all involved. But it's very difficult to take much of it to heart, or to feel moved by the tragic conclusion.