A Reimagining of an Ancient Classic
Euripides’ Bacchae premiered in 405 B.C, winning first place in the City Dionysia drama competition. In the two millennia that have followed, the play has been reimagined countless times, in countless different iterations. This particular adaptation brought to life by Company of Wolves interprets the show as a one man monologue, adapted and performed by Ewan Downie. Interspersed with moments of movement and song, the show is a tight 50 minutes.
The Bacchae centres around the return of the god Dionysus to the city of Thebes. The god is young and angry, and upon his return the women of the city turn to madness, and gather together in the mountains. The young king Pentheus, skeptical and wary, attempts to restore order to the city, which culminates in him getting torn apart limb from limb by his mother.
The contained run time means large elements of the original plot of the show are either skipped over, or missed. This is not inherently a bad thing, as Downie had the space to explore what he found the most artistically resonant. Whilst it is broadly a strong script, the language melodic, the short run time means that some themes felt unexplored or ignored. It is curious, in my view, to adapt a show that is in many ways about women without including any female actors on stage, and whilst Downie carried the performance well, it felt at times as though something essential was missing.
Downie’s performance is strong. The show takes full advantage of the actor’s range, and he embodies a huge range of parts, as the one man format requires. A particular highlight of his performance was the levity he brought to the role of Zeus. In that small moment, he did what adaptations of Greek tragedies do best, and brought the ancient tale to life. At times the dance sequences seemed awkward, but this was balanced by his command over the Classical Greek song.
Katharine Williams’ lights and Anna Porubcansky’s sound design were a total highlight of the show. However it is worth cautioning that the show does make use of flashing lights, and this was not flagged before starting. They were able to totally and utterly transform and immerse the audience in the studio space, generating intimacy and madness through their design choices. Alisa Kalyanova’s set design felt sparse, and the modern props and cages felt a little bare and at times distracted from the classical setting.
Downie’s adaptation of the Bacchae captures many of the elements that make the text resonate two thousand, four hundred years after its initial performance. Whilst I wished there had been more space for specific exploration of gender, or the tension between wilderness and ‘civility’, the show was an accessible introduction to one of the mainstays of tragic theatre.
The Bacchae is touring Scottish theatres this Spring.