Never before attempted in Chennai

There’ll be blood

Rohit Panikker, TNN Sep 13, 2011, 12.34pm IST

An energetic and eclectic group of theatre artists from Chennai are all set to bring to life, the epic, timeless Spanish literary classic - Blood Wedding...

In 1933, Spanish author Federico Garcia Lorca staged his play Bodas de Sangre (Blood Wedding) in Madrid, thus setting a start to his iconic rural trilogy — three plays that explored the themes of death, individual needs against those of society, and women. Featuring female protagonists who wore shades of grace, strength, charm, hubris and vindictiveness, Garcia's Blood Wedding was a landmark piece of writing. Later, this piece of performance literature was adapted for the screen by Spanish filmmaker Carlos Saura who interpreted Lorca's work with flamenco choreography. Now, with a theatre group gearing up to stage Blood Wedding in Chennai, the significance of this work gets underscored.

Actor/director V Balakrishnan, who is putting together this musical in association with choreographers Vijay Victor and Swati Sadhwani, explains that though Chennai has never been a stranger to musicals, Blood Wedding will cut a niche of its own.

"Our theatrical show is a fusion of both Lorca's and Saura's versions of Bodas de Sangre. The dialogue and dance will coalesce into a single medium and narrate this enduring tale of love, lust, passions and consequences."

The organizers believe that with original music composed for the play and dances that are portrayed by characters who are crackling with sexual chemistry and repressed passions, Blood Wedding has all the makings of a great entertainer. 


"It talks about the concept of honour that existed in Spain at the time; the incorrigible lust for woman and property and how a man's honour was woven into his sense of ownership of the two is something an audience here would still be able to relate to; also extant is the concept of women being confined to the four walls of a house in the name of 'decency' and 'propriety'," explains the director.

Choreographer Vijay Victor says that a flamenco performance, in its entirety, has never before been attempted in the city. "We auditioned youngsters from different colleges as well as established theatre actors and working professionals. We began training from scratch. After months of training and rehearsals, we're ready with a flamenco showcase that'll whisk you away to early 20th century rural Spain, amidst a twisted love story and the feud between the characters Leonardo, the bride, the groom and the mother."

A tale that reeks of the earthiness of its people; shackled by their religious values yet unable to restrain their passions, the characters in this play are ruined by blood, and in a grand display of storytelling skills, the 'wedding' is coming to town!