Happily, I’m having some difficulty deciding the right words to describe Yerma. Magnificently theatrical? Ferociously intense? Unforgettably riveting? Perfection? All these hosannas and many more apply to this fantastic play and this extraordinary production.
Yerma is based on a 1934 play written by Frederico Garcia Lorca. It tells a tragic story of a woman living in rural Spain who is desperate to have children but is infertile in an age where she is expected to procreate. Simon Stone has adapted this story, moved the characters to modern London and turned Yerma into a journalist. As a character named Her, she is in her thirties. Early on we learn that she now wants to have a child. With brilliantly realistic yet highly dramatic words, the characters, their situations and interactions are fascinatingly complex. Mr. Stone is also the Director of this masterpiece.
You walk into the theater and the audience is split into two sides. Both face a wide rectangular glass box which is carpeted inside. As the play unfolds, screens above announce a chapter and describe what’s to follow, such as “deception.” Scene changes include a complete blackout and dissonant singing or music. The scene changes are their own fascinating element. Not only do they appear complicated to execute but the pauses add tension to the ever increasing levels of intensity in this story. Lizzie Clachan did the ingenious, jaw-dropping set design.
Yerma had its world premiere at the Young Vic in London in 2016. Playing Her, Billie Piper won every award available and she does not disappoint. In Yerma, she has the role of her life in a performance of incalculable emotional depth and range. For a month, this production has been mounted at the Park Avenue Armory. Every actor on the stage is astonishingly superb, especially Brendan Cowell’s performance as John.
When Ms. Piper came out for her curtain call, she looked understandably exhausted. The audience was so overwhelmed that it took a few moments for clapping to start. At that moment, you realize your great fortune. You were lucky enough to see one of the great ones. Of this year and this decade, for sure. One of the greats of the century? A safe bet. Of my lifetime? Definitely.