Theatre Review: Yerma

The play Yerma is a tragedy of isolation, passion and the desperate desire for motherhood that eventually drives the protagonist to commit a horrific crime. Federico Garcia Lorca's masterpiece is set in rural Spain and is characterised by traditional customs and prejudices. That's why, when offered the opportunity to watch the play set in modern Britain at the Bloomsbury Studio, I never expected to enjoy this thought-provoking adaptation as much as I did.

Directed by Dr Marta Niccolai, this modern adaptation was based on Lorca's original piece written in 1934 and inspired by the autobiographical text The Pursuit of Motherhood (2014) by Jessica Hepburn.

The play is roughly an hour and fifteen minutes with no intermission. Each new scene was introduced by a blackout and a screen that denoted the passing time. The whole play takes place on a mostly static stage located at the same level as the audience, where the actors can be closely observed as subjects.

The character Yerma, a recently married housewife in the original play, is now an artist for children's books and her husband Juan is a businessman who is always away, rather than a farmer who frequently disappears into the olive groves. Despite a modern setting the play still deals with Yerma's struggle with infertility and her preoccupation with what she perceives as a failure to achieve motherhood. An interesting addition to the play was the inclusion of Jessica Hepburn's poem 'The Pain of Never', to demonstrate Yerma's feelings about fertility struggles. This created an enchanting atmosphere on the stage, and I am sure Lorca would have approved the incorporation of this painful and beautiful poem to his play.

In contrast to the original story, modern Yerma has access to a variety of fertility treatments that were unthinkable during Lorca's times. Some well-discussed examples range from a fertility test, to the use of IVF which can be expensive and cause emotional stress, and adoption. Despite the unsuccessful fertility treatments, it's interesting to reflect on how far science has come and how infertility is still a taboo in our modern society that some people feel awkward discussing openly.

The acting was unconvincing in some scenes when actors weren't fully capable of embracing their characters, which could be partly due to the young age of the cast. However, the outstanding work by Antignac Margoc, who played Yerma must be highlighted. As the lead actress, Antignac was brave to be vulnerable onstage and led us on a journey of emotions, ranging from excitement, to hope, sadness and frustrating.

I enjoyed the reference to Lorca's original play, insinuating how the name Yerma is cursed. However, modern Yerma doesn't have the same pressure from her family or society, as it rather came from within. This is maybe the one aspect that stopped me from fully connecting with her character. The play was also focused on Yerma's narrative as a woman, adapted to our contemporary times. However, nowadays we need to understand that fertility and pregnancy is a tale of two, and with many men also wanting to be parents, the partner also plays an important role in taking decisions.

The ending of the play was also different as Yerma leaves her husband. This contrasts with the original ending when Yerma strangled her husband. I enjoyed this new twist as a final movement of empowerment, leaving the future up to the audience's interpretation. The poster 'New beginnings - oocyte' by artist Gina Glover was projected on the screen at the end of the performance. Although the audience was slightly confused about whether the play had finished or not, I believe this was a great final touch, suggesting a new chapter on Yerma’s life full of hope and new adventures.

Finally, whenever I come home from the theatre, I usually find myself analysing the plot but lacking other people's perspectives. This time, however, the audience had the privilege to discuss the play with the actors, the directors and the guest expert speaker Professor Joyce Harper, from the Institute for Women's Health at University College London. This discussion on (in)fertility and women’s health, learning new insights and perspectives from Professor Harper, felt like an immersive theatrical experience where we were able to argue different motivations for the characters. This Q&A section highlighted the need to have more open discussions and outreach programmes to educate society on reproductive health and infertility.

I would like to congratulate the directors and cast for successfully bringing Lorca's traditional play to modern life in this creative adaption. I would encourage everyone to come to the theatre and watch Yerma if you have the opportunity. I enjoyed seeing this performance and I thought it was a well-needed platform to discuss and open up more about motherhood and fertility topics.