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The Bacchae at the Blue Elephant Theatre

April 22, 2016 by Alex Wood Leave a Comment

Review of: The Bacchae at the Blue Elephant Theatre
Produced by:
Lazarus
Price:
£10 - £15

Reviewed by: Alex Wood
Rating:
3
On April 22, 2016
Last modified:April 23, 2016

Summary:

This may not be the most powerful version of The Bacchae, and, whilst flawed, still made for a visual spectacle with some emotive physical passages.

More Details

My (admittedly limited) knowledge of the Bacchae stems predominantly from Donna Tarts magnificent novel The Secret History, where a group of college students work themselves into a state of such frenzy that they murder their colleague in a completely unhinged act of emotional excess. This, as well as a rudimentary comprehension of the classics, made me excited to see what Lazarus were planning to do with the tale – particularly given their mission statement of reinventing ancient stories in bold and accessible ways.

Whilst the show certainly held flashes of ingenuity and intricacy, there was, however, some significant flaws in their version.  The most immediate was the gargantuan cast of 14 for the small 50-seater venue – crowding the stage with a Greek chorus setting. As a result, rather than appearing carnal and frenetic, the show spent large portions being simply too static and unwieldy. Some of the physical sequences, albeit too few, were entirely suitable to a cast of such a size and created a fantastically enthralling and writhing simulation, but these felt all too sparse to justify such a large ensemble. BACHLAZ-064
The direction from Gavin Harrington-Odedra felt somewhat responsible for this – leaving the actors with swathes of time doing nothing – undermining a lot of dramatic suspense, managing only to ramp up the tension at choice moments – the death of Pentheus being a key example.

The adaptation (also from Harrington-Odreda) also felt slightly clunky in places, marred by internal rhymes that appeared and disappeared at sporadic intervals, resorting sometimes to tropes or echoes of lines from films (though perhaps this reviewer has just watched too many movies recently). All of this meant the actors were often fighting the dialogue to truly forge exciting or memorable characters. The hints at a form of female liberation and gender discussion were certainly interesting embellishments, but never felt fully developed or integrated into the acting.

Indeed the main success (and, in spite of the show thus far, there were some key successes) of the show came from the technical side of proceedings – the lighting design from Stuart Glover saw a wonderful, haze-fuelled environment that evoked the vast land of Thebes, working in tandem with multi-coloured gels and a plethora of emotional aesthetics. When the show truly came alive, it was when the physical sequences and lighting design came together and made the show as nimble as it needed to be.

Whilst the cast were simply too numerous to individually remark upon, some choice standouts were present – especially Stephen Emery’s Pentheus, a constant bureaucratic blur completely at odds with the carnal and liberal sentiments of Dionysius’s followers. Sonja Zobel as Agaue also provided a powerful final scene, dominating a stage space in which she could have easily been swamped by the rest of the cast. The cradling of Pentheus’s severed head in such a maternal fashion was a wonderful directorial touch. This may not be the most powerful version of The Bacchae, and, whilst flawed, still made for a visual spectacle with some emotive physical passages.

Cast and Creative

Cast;

Dionysus – Nick Biadon

Pentheus – Stephen Emery

Agaue – Sonja Zobel

Katrine – Lysanne Van Overbeek

Advisor – Jake W Francis

Advisor – Ashley Holman

Advisor – Aidan Valentine

Chorus Leader– RJ Seeley

Chorus 1 – Tamara Camacho

Chorus 2 – Liis Mikk

Chorus 3 – Amy Allen

Chorus 4 – Kenzie Horn

Chorus 5 – Rachel Agustsson

Chorus 6 – Katherine Judkins

Creative;

Written by Euripides

Adapted and Directed by Gavin Harrington-Odedra

Costume Designed by Sorcha Corcoran

Lighting Design by Stuart Glover

Sound Design by Neil McKeown

Production Manager – Ina Berggren

Stage Manager – Mel Berry

Dramaturge – David Bullen

Assistant Director – John King

Company Photographer – Adam Trigg

Production Graphic Designer – Will Beeston

For more information on The Company please click here

 

Author: Alex WoodAlex is the former reviews editor at Theatre Bubble, but since changing position now contributes occasionally. He has been writing reviews for a number of years, as well as seeing his own shows performed. He has produced and marketed a number of performances at venues in London, Oxford, Edinburgh, including the world premiere of Philip Pullman's The Ruby in the Smoke.

Filed Under: Review Tagged With: Bacchae, Blue Elephant, Lazarus, Pentheus

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  • Alex Wood
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  • April 22nd, 2016
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