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THEATER REVIEW | 'LA CASA DE LOS ESPÍRITUS'
MORE ON 'La Casa de los Espiritus (The House of the Spirits)'
A Tumultuous and Supernatural Family Saga
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By ANITA GATES
Published: March 9, 2009
The beautiful girl with the green hair is back. So is the incredible horse-size family dog. They are onstage, along with a large additional supply of talent, in Repertorio Español’s evocative production of “La Casa de Los Espíritus” at the Gramercy Arts Theater.
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Kika Child, left, Nelson Landrieu and Denise Quiñones in "La Casa de Los Espíritus."
Related
Staging Latin American Magical Realism, Complete With Songs (February 17, 2009)
Times Topics: Isabel Allende
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Michelle V. Agins/The New York Times
Denise Quinones in "La Casa de Los Espíritus."
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Michelle V. Agins/The New York Times
Beatriz Cordoba, left, and Eric Robledo in "La Casa de Los Espíritus."
Some things were missing from the 1993 movie version of “The House of the Spirits.” It had ample (non-Latino) star power with Meryl Streep, Jeremy Irons, Glenn Close and Winona Ryder. But somewhere between Isabel Allende’s acclaimed novel and the screen, the story’s vibrant magical realism fell away.
This production restores it and adds a few pretty songs (although it is hardly a musical) by Caridad Svich, who also wrote the play, based on the book, effectively condensing the saga of the powerful South American Trueba family.
Beautiful Rosa (Kika Child), whose green hair actually looks quite attractive, is engaged to Esteban Trueba (Nelson Landrieu). While he is busy working to strike it rich in the mines, Rosa is accidentally poisoned and dies. Her psychic sister, Clara (Beatriz Córdoba), stops speaking, until she decides years later that she will marry Esteban.
After the wedding the story branches out. Major players include a daughter, Blanca (Ms. Child again); a laborer, Pedro García (Ernesto De Villa Bejjani); a granddaughter, Alba (Denise Quiñones); and Esteban’s sister, Férula (Rosie Berrido), who loves Clara a little too much for Esteban’s taste. Against the background of a restored family villa there is rape, torture, domestic violence and a political war between socialism and tyranny. The performances are strong all around. A talented backstage team has combined cinematic music and inventive lighting and scenic design into a haunting whole. José Zayas has directed with what comes across as a real passion for the material.
The play, which is in repertory and runs about two and a half hours, is performed in Spanish with simultaneous English translation via headsets. The translation system has problems, though. It’s difficult to appreciate the performances while other voices are reciting the actors’ lines, sometimes well but sometimes mechanically.
The English translation, however, is nicely colloquial. When Pedro is invited by his boss to listen to some classical music, he replies, “Thanks, but I’ll take a rain check.”
MORE ON 'La Casa de los Espiritus (The House of the Spirits)'
A Tumultuous and Supernatural Family Saga
Article Tools Sponsored By
By ANITA GATES
Published: March 9, 2009
The beautiful girl with the green hair is back. So is the incredible horse-size family dog. They are onstage, along with a large additional supply of talent, in Repertorio Español’s evocative production of “La Casa de Los Espíritus” at the Gramercy Arts Theater.
Skip to next paragraph
Enlarge This Image
Michelle V. Agins/The New York Times
Kika Child, left, Nelson Landrieu and Denise Quiñones in "La Casa de Los Espíritus."
Related
Staging Latin American Magical Realism, Complete With Songs (February 17, 2009)
Times Topics: Isabel Allende
Enlarge This Image
Michelle V. Agins/The New York Times
Denise Quinones in "La Casa de Los Espíritus."
Enlarge This Image
Michelle V. Agins/The New York Times
Beatriz Cordoba, left, and Eric Robledo in "La Casa de Los Espíritus."
Some things were missing from the 1993 movie version of “The House of the Spirits.” It had ample (non-Latino) star power with Meryl Streep, Jeremy Irons, Glenn Close and Winona Ryder. But somewhere between Isabel Allende’s acclaimed novel and the screen, the story’s vibrant magical realism fell away.
This production restores it and adds a few pretty songs (although it is hardly a musical) by Caridad Svich, who also wrote the play, based on the book, effectively condensing the saga of the powerful South American Trueba family.
Beautiful Rosa (Kika Child), whose green hair actually looks quite attractive, is engaged to Esteban Trueba (Nelson Landrieu). While he is busy working to strike it rich in the mines, Rosa is accidentally poisoned and dies. Her psychic sister, Clara (Beatriz Córdoba), stops speaking, until she decides years later that she will marry Esteban.
After the wedding the story branches out. Major players include a daughter, Blanca (Ms. Child again); a laborer, Pedro García (Ernesto De Villa Bejjani); a granddaughter, Alba (Denise Quiñones); and Esteban’s sister, Férula (Rosie Berrido), who loves Clara a little too much for Esteban’s taste. Against the background of a restored family villa there is rape, torture, domestic violence and a political war between socialism and tyranny. The performances are strong all around. A talented backstage team has combined cinematic music and inventive lighting and scenic design into a haunting whole. José Zayas has directed with what comes across as a real passion for the material.
The play, which is in repertory and runs about two and a half hours, is performed in Spanish with simultaneous English translation via headsets. The translation system has problems, though. It’s difficult to appreciate the performances while other voices are reciting the actors’ lines, sometimes well but sometimes mechanically.
The English translation, however, is nicely colloquial. When Pedro is invited by his boss to listen to some classical music, he replies, “Thanks, but I’ll take a rain check.”
Michelle V. Agins/The New York Times
Kika Child, left, Nelson Landrieu and Denise Quiñones in "La Casa de Los Espíritus."
Copyright 2009 The New York Times Company
Kika Child, left, Nelson Landrieu and Denise Quiñones in "La Casa de Los Espíritus."
Copyright 2009 The New York Times Company
posted by RAFAEL URIBE OCHOA at 9:23 PM
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