Peribanez

Synopsis

A peasant village in 17th century Spain. At the very moment that Peribanez and Casilda seal their marriage vows, the noble lord of their land is carried to their home at death's door. Casilda revives him and he falls hopelessly in love. He swears to possess her - but underestimates the power of love.

Our Review:

8 May 2003

If Lope de Vega was "the Spanish Shakespeare", then Peribanez is perhaps his Othello.

Born just two years before Shakespeare, De Vega, along with Cervantes and Calderon, was at the forefront of the Spanish "Golden Age" of drama and, frankly, he put the man from Stratford in the shade in terms of output, producing anything between 400 and 800 plays during a hectic life. Peribanez - tackling all those gritty Moor themes of passion, prejudice, honour, jealousy and rage - is considered one of his best, frequently revived in Spain. In this country, it's rarely performed and little known, though not for long thanks to the Young Vic.

The play opens on the wedding day of peasants Peribanez and Casilda whose merrymaking and richly descriptive professions of love are interrupted when the town's Commander is carried in, unconscious after a run-in with a bull. On awaking, the Commander mistakes Casilda for an angel and falls passio...

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Latest User Review

USER: Whatsonstage.com (62.128.208.137) - 20 May 2003:

I cannot believe the review I have just read. This is a poorly directed production of a superb playand the reason Michael Nardone is unerstated is obviously because he has no idea what to do. Casting Gaelic actors, because someone thought they could play Spaniards or could interpret a Spanish play accurately was a major error. The majority of the singing is seriously out of tune, enough to make me cover my ears and the set is indesecribable. Poor David Harewood and Mark Lockyer, they look as they've wandered into the wrong play. I would assess as the worst production the Young Vic has ever played and it makes me very sad....

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