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Edinburgh Festival 2007
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Reviews from the Edinburgh International Festival 2007 (2)Bacchae From the outstanding Alan Cumming's flying entrance, inverted and bare-buttocked, to a stunningly-lit finale, this new version of a Greek tragedy surprises. It mixes genres and periods with alacrity, part classical tragedy, part modern Scottish comedy and even more strangely, part soul opera. This means that there should be something for everyone to enjoy and possibly enough to offend many as well. Cumming is a truly charming, transvestite Dionysus, the God of wine. He has returned to earth with vengeance in mind but that isn't immediately obvious as he wise-cracks happily through the opening scene, almost like a stand-up comedian. On this occasion, he has not so much Bacchae as backing band, a chorus of ten women, gorgeously dressed (in blood red), who might easily be mistaken for the support singers of a high quality 1970s soul group. As the old saw has it, "Hell hath no fury like a God scorned" and when Tony Curran's sassy prince Pentheus shows scant respect for Dionysus, he is signing his own death warrant. That death is truly horrible, reported rather than seen. That changes when his murderer-mother Agave, played by Paola Dionisotti, turns up carrying an untra-realistic head, which she does not realise is her son's. When realisation finally dawns, it provokes a silent scream that is at least as moving as something more vocal. Miriam Buether's design for John Tiffany seems simple, formed of two gently curving white walls but this allows scope for several coups de théàtre, one of which is absolutely stunning. This rich mix cleverly lulls its audience into relaxed amusement before going for the jugular. As a result, The Bacchae has a tremendous dramatic impact and is yet another great advert for the National Theatre of Scotland. Philip Fisher Bacchae It's hard to know where to start with a production like The Bacchae. Blending Greek tragedy with backup singers and wild theatrics, it's a production unlike anything the National Theatre of Scotland has done yet. After last year's International Festival piece, Realism, The Bacchae feels surprisingly grounded, and while it's hard to say whether or not the piece feels like a complete success, it certainly feels like NTS has placed a lot of emphasis on creative experimentation here, rather than ensuring a commercial success. Not that commercial success isn't virtually guaranteed; tickets to the production are apparently quite difficult to come by, a fact which no doubt bears some relation to its having one of the biggest-name actors in town this August. Alan Cumming, as the god Dionysus, owns this production; he engages with the audience and puts across the impression of a young god perpetually ready to throw a hissy fit when things don't go his way. Interesting, then, that it's the moments when Cumming isn't on stage when this production comes to life in its own right. While it's all good fun watching Pentheus (Tony Curran) get caught up in the act of wearing women's clothes and accessories, the times when the production truly touches the audience come hard and fast in the second half, when Agave (Paola Dionisotti) shows first her madness, then slow realisation of her son's fate. The Bacchae marks the NTS' first foray into 'classical' theatre, putting an irreverent spin on Euripides' work. Yet again, the company's biggest strength is its willingness to exploit areas of theatrical expression which it has previously left untapped. This sense of experimentation has pervaded much of NTS' work to date, and one hopes it will continue as the company embarks on their new season. Rachel Lynn Brody
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