Iron Lady clad in lace lets rip with histrionics

SPANISH playwright Federico Garcia Lorca's The House of Bernarda Alba is that classic epic play with larger-than-life characters, where a country and a community's problems at large are encapsulated and shrunk into one long domestic scene. Put on by Wild Rice Theatre, the issues presented in The House were in turn dramatised to the hilt for that hyper-realism factor.

Directed by Glen Goei, every component of the production was carefully and aesthetically staged for the whole packaged experience. From the costumes to lighting and stage design, and the chorus and their choreographed movements, not to mention the strong female cast - the whole production swept one up with its "stage noir" feel.

But perhaps it was just a tad too orchestrated. Because although the attention to detail wowed, this reviewer didn't stay as engaged in the story as expected. After a while, the drama and the histrionics of the actors hit a saturation point.