A timeless love triangle pulsing with Lorca’s flame, this performance blends Oxford polish and Andalusian passion with authenticity and timely relevance
Full Moon Theatre presents a new interpretation of Federico García Lorca’s Blood Wedding, staged this week at the Oxford Playhouse. Directed by Emma Nihill Alcorta, who also delivers a vibrant new translation, this production echoes the sound and movement of Andalusia. While rooted in themes of fate, violence and longing, it’s the women’s silence, resistance, grief and defiance that shape its course.
This adaptation wove tradition and innovation, allowing language, music and movement to fold into one another. Spanish and English drifted between each other; fragments of folklore and Lorca’s poetry surfaced naturally in the rhythm of the piece. Alcorta’s new translation felt both fresh and faithful, grounding the drama in a vivid emotional landscape that evoked the sun-soaked and tension of Andalusia.
Composer Elsa-Vass-De-Zomba’s original score was performed live by a mesmerising ensemble of violin, viola, cello, guitar, percussion and saxophone. The music wasn’t a mere accompaniment of the action, but it shaped the mood. At times lush and cinematic, at others sparse and sharp-edged, it became an essential element of the storytelling building tension, and carrying the audience through even the quietest moments with a sense of unease or tenderness.
Choreographd by Carlos Araujo and Lucy Williams, movement was used with meaning and gave shape to moments of ritual, memory or confrontation, particularly in the taut physicality between the bridegroom and the lover.
The set featured two wooden structures framing the space, each with a raised balcony. Beneath one, the live band became a constant, visible rhythm behind the story. The balconies served as liminal spaces used by characters who were not central to the immediate action but whose presence loomed inlcuding The Moon, The Sister-in-Law, The Wife and The Spinners playing with yarn. These elevated perspectives reinforced the play’s themes of fate, surveillance and inevitability.
Costumes in this production were richly evocative without feeling overstated. The Bride’s shift from soft blue to a striking white lace gown was subtly yet impactful, embodying both innocence and newfound vulnerability. Opposite her, the Bridegroom’s black suit offered a steady, somber counterpoint, grounding their shared moments with a quiet intensity. The Wife’s green dress added an eerie undercurrent, while the ensemble’s palette of black and red, with flamenco flourishes and lacy textures, gave the whole piece a distinctly Andalusian feel. The visual design echoed Lorca’s symbolism, carried with quiet elegance.
The cast delivered a powerful and tightly unified performance, each actor attuned to the play’s emotional undercurrents. At the heart of the production was the Bride (Thalia Kermisch), who captured the intricate struggle of a woman caught between duty and desire, shaped by expectation yet striving for freedom. She carried the burdens of honour, tradition and longing, grounding the role with authenticity and avoiding cliché. Her performance remained true to Lorca’s vision of women not as symbols, but as complex individuals navigating a world where love is fraught and choices carry heavy consequences.
At its core, Blood Wedding is a timeless love triangle: the ‘good on paper’ choice versus true love, an emotional conflict as relatable now as it is to Carrie Bradshaw. In cultures where fate, honour and family ties run deep like in 1930s southern Spain, such stories are destined for tragedy. Honour-based violence and rigid gender roles still affect many women today, alongside the rise of right-wing ideologies and ongoing debates over women’s bodily autonomy, Blood Wedding feels pressing and gripping. This fresh adaptation doesn’t just revisit a classic; it makes it heartbreakingly relevant.