2.23°C Paul T. Davies reviews The Pen & the Sword – Death of Lorca?, staged at the Headgate Theatre.
Federico García Lorca, Spanish poet and playwright, is celebrated for a body of work that includes The House of Bernarda Alba, Yerma, and Blood Wedding. Tragically, he was murdered by fascists by firing squad during the height of the Spanish Civil War in 1936. Charlie Davison’s play seeks to present the last few days of his life, when he, notoriously, insisted he was non-political, not seemingly responding quickly enough to the threats made against his life.
It’s simply presented, with excellent narration by Beth Davison-Southgate and some graphic and disturbing images providing a brief history of the war. The cast play the script with passion: George Deadman as Lorca, Nick Edgeworth as Luis Rosales (who may have betrayed Lorca), and a pair of plumbers, the common people, nicely presented by Jonathan Tann and Elliot McMillan. Alice Molnar uses her voice well, as does Isabel Lorca, who reads a couple of his very poignant poems. Anastacia Ward gives an entertaining turn as prisoner Gonzales and the Maid from The House of Bernarda Alba.
However, the piece is very short, about 40 minutes, and I felt I knew little more about the last days of Lorca than I did before the play began. Why was Lorca so naïve? Why didn’t he flee further away? Perhaps, because of his sexuality, he was never going to be safe.
A lot of love and research has gone into creating this play, and it would have been rewarding to have seen some complexity on stage, maybe more of a build-up to the final days. What happened to Lorca’s family after his murder? With atmospheric guitar playing by Davison himself, there is much to recommend this play; it just feels like a brief history lesson, and it left me wanting more.
