Chicago Sun Times - Recommended
"...Sexuality and societal oppression form the competing drives that lead inexorably toward tragedy in "The House of Bernarda Alba," which has been adapted - and billed as a new work with the abbreviated, and exclamatory, title "ˇBernarda!" - by Emilio Williams. Directed by Wendy Mateo, it's being presented by the Latino theater company Teatro Vista in cooperation with Steppenwolf Theatre at the latter's intimate 1700 space."
Chicago Reader - Recommended
"...When words are not enough to express their range of emotions, the sisters perform interludes of intense movement directed by J. Nicole Brooks and set to Satya Chavez's music, which nods to both the Spanish setting and its Catholicism. Erin Pleake's projections reinforce the religious overtones with iconography and also show the surveillance cameras that Bernarda has installed throughout the property, allowing her to watch over the inhabitants like an authoritarian god."
Chicago Stage and Screen - Highly Recommended
"...Director Wendy Mateo and movement director J Nicole Brooks create a wordless ballet that says almost more than the dialogue, as the ensemble moves in eerie unison, or breaks out into individual dance styles that are quickly snuffed out, underlining the themes of misogyny and resistance."
Chicago Theatre Review - Somewhat Recommended
"...Teatro Vista has a rich, 33-season history of presenting predominantly Latino-focused theatre, including many world premieres. I saw their wonderful production of Anna in the Tropics at Victory Gardens Theatre and the world premiere of Pulitzer Prize finalist The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity. Compared to these great productions, and to the expectations raised by the other past work of both Teatro Vista and Steppenwolf Theatre itself, ˇBernarda! comes across as rather less ambitious than one could have wished for, and a bit flat and perfunctory."
Third Coast Review - Highly Recommended
"...The house of Bernarda Alba has had a makeover. If you are familiar with the 1936 play by Federico Garcia Lorca, you may gain new insights about it when you see ˇBernarda!, its latest iteration by Teatro Vista. Emilio Williams' script retains the elements and drama of the original, but stages it as if Lorca was in the modern world instead of in a century-old Spanish village. Director Wendy Mateo and the creative team have designed a sizzling ˇBernarda! for today's audience. This is a thrilling story about women's lives and passions."
Chicago On Stage - Highly Recommended
"...ˇBernada! is a truly outstanding production from the set to the script to the direction to the acting to Conchita Avitia’s lighting to Stephanie Senor’s sound; it is so richly and fully realized that you might want to see it twice. It’s that impressive. But it is also a heavy, heavy piece. Teatro Vista’s artistic director, Lorena Diaz, said, “The theme of oppression is prevalent in this piece. So is the reminder that there is ultimately no real power to be had in the oppression of a people or one’s personhood.” Bernada Alba proves herself as capable of wielding this oppression as any patriarch could be, effectively dooming her family as she seeks to protect them."
Rescripted - Recommended
"...Wendy Mateo’s clear and crisp direction compliments Emilio Williams’ beautiful yet blunt text. I appreciated the economy of the script – I followed the plot clearly but there was so much personality in the text– not a line was wasted. There also was not a single moment where I was keenly aware that a masculine person authored these feminine voices, which I think is a testament to the collaboration in the room."
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