House of Desires - Spanish Golden Age Season

Synopsis

This hilarious farce involves a brother and sister entangled in a web of love with four others - with everyone under one roof, comic mayhem is created as all six characters struggle to be alone with their lover and we try to work out who really loves whom. Written by one of the few female playwrights of the age, Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz was a poet nun and is perhaps best known as a major Baroque literary figure of Mexico.

Our Review:

2 February 2005

Nun so madcap as Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz - at least in her imagination. This Mexican 17th century sister has conjured a hilarious plot about scions of the Spanish nobility madly in love with each other, all confused as to the objects of their desire and locked up - often literally - in the same house in Toledo. I could recount the plot (well, to be honest, I’m not sure I could) but that’s not the point.

To put it simply, Dona Ana is in love with Don Carlos, but he is pursuing Dona Leonor while Don Juan has the hots for Dona Ana whose brother Don Pedro is Don Carlos’ rival for Leonor and so on through threats, intrigues and mayhem to a more or less satisfactory conclusion.

There is a set-piece scene played by the muddled lovers as if in pitch darkness but brilliantly lit so that we can see knives and bodies all but collide. But this isn’t just a romantic farce, at least it isn’t in this version, cheekily translated by Catherine Boyle and wittily directed at a furious...

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Latest User Review

172.187.148.205) - 25 March 2005:

The RSC's House of Desires was a remarkably good production, highlighting the ridicule and shallowness of the honour code in Spanish society through standardised gestures and postures borrowed to the worlds of Flamenco and Torreadors. The initial staging of the author (a 16th century mexican nun with very good insights on society) who then takes part in the plot as one of the characters reminds us of the social context of the play. The theme of the convent is kept up during the whole performance with heavy sounds of keys being locked. It might be the conventionnal plot of crossed lovers and ingenous servants but it is done in a very stylised and highly enjoyable manner. The set shines through and the lighting aptly materialises varied places and athmospheres. The ensemble works very well together have built a growing sense of union and a delightful athmosphere throughout the season. Simon Trinder does not feel too full of himself at all, his character does. His depiction of Castaño is hillarious and was absolutely loved by the audience. A special mention to the not often enough mentionned Kelly as well....

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