Southeastern Theatre presented “Blood Wedding” by Federico Garcia Lorca through their use of Spanish scenery, costumes and song, but the play drew mixed reviews from the crowd about the quality of acting, the depth of the actual characters and the title of the play.
“I thought that the play was great,” said Katie Neil, a sophomore majoring in biology. “It had a good plot line, and it was a suspenseful play that kept me guessing the whole time. What impressed me the most was the end, how both of the men killed each other for a girl.”
“Blood Wedding,” directed by guest Samuel Sparks, was performed in the Vonnie Borden Theatre in D Vickers Hall from Feb. 26 through March 1 at 7:30 p.m.
One thing that surprised students was that Southeastern’s interpretation of “Blood Wedding” did not use a drop of fake blood on stage.
“I thought that was a little bit bad, but I understand that they wanted to keep it viewer-friendly,” said Neil about the lack of blood.
A few students thought that the title “Blood Wedding” was based on the language used in the play rather than a reference to the deaths in the play.
“I think that’s metaphorical,” said Marlee Lavigne, a freshman majoring in art, about the title. “It was pretty much all off-stage, but they talked a lot about blood on stage, so it wasn’t really bloodless when you think about it.”
Lorca’s play, originally written in Spanish, was translated by Lillian Groag, although a few common Spanish words and part of a song remained untranslated in order to add to the mood of the play.
“I thought they did a great job with the Spanish to English translation,” said Angele Thibodaux, a freshman majoring in psychology and member of Alpha Psi Omega. Students gave mixed reviews about the actors’ performances in “Blood Wedding” with some students raving that the actors gave a fine performance.
“There were a few actors that stood out in my opinion,” said Thibodaux. “Joseph Matherne (Bridegroom) is just absolutely magnificent, and Chelsea [Krause] (Bride) is always wonderful. Janna Baza (Mother) was absolutely phenomenal. Her acting was on point, on key, and I kind of wish she would be in every play forever and ever.”
Other features of the play  that caught the audience’s attention were the costumes and the set. Costumes were designed by theatre instructor Cody Stockstill, and the scenery for the play as designed by Dale Newkirk, the director of the Southeastern Contemporary Art Gallery.  
“The set was so well done,” said Lavigne. “The way that they had to come out and had to change it was really interesting. I liked how they did that.”
Despite some good reviews, not all students were as impressed with the quality of “Blood Wedding.”
“The play was okay,” said freshman Joseph Edmunds. “But the characters were one-dimensional.”
Southeastern Theatre will now prepare for the next production. The play “Baby with the Bathwater,” written by Christopher Durang and directed by Chad Winters, will be performed in the Vonnie Borden Theatre in D Vickers Hall on April 16 through 19.
“Southeastern always puts their best foot forward in every performance,” said Thibodaux.