The Bacchae
About the show
The Faux-Real Theatre Company presents Euripides' classic, which explores the line between freedom and fanaticism, in its signature, highly-charged physical style.
... Read moreDionysus--celebrated, gender-bending, and mercurial party god--cavorts with his ecstatic followers, the girl-group known as The Bacchae, only to be challenged by the villainous secularist Pentheus. Taking the 5th century BC Euripides strictly at his word, this visceral production is founded on the idea that these archaic texts still can deliver their ancient, universal truths with transformative strength when ensemble and audience commit to taking part in a rich, community-strengthening catharsis together. Overflowing with worship of all kinds, is the show liberation theology in the best sense, or a warning against religious zealotry?
"With strong central performances and some excellent design work, they have mounted a show that keeps you on the edge of your seat...It’s disappointing when you’re told that you’re going to see a group of frenzied women dancing and singing in religious ecstasy, and what you get is more like a neo-hippie Earth Day celebration…That said, 'The Bacchae' contains enough truly inventive and gripping moments to maintain a sense of excitement and danger throughout." Full Review
"'The Bacchae' digs into the tribal roots of this, the ultimate cautionary tale, with just the collective animal energy called for...My only significant complaint is the switch to a drastically slower pace for the long denouement...Still, we’re left with a visceral feel for the 'red in tooth and claw' fundamentals of human nature...All these elements combine to make the meat of the production a divine thrill." Full Review
"PJ Adzima, who played King Pentheus, is the bright light and shining star of this production...Andrew Bryce was also excellent as the gender-bending Dionysus...We leave having learned how a nation can be destroyed when its citizens embrace myth, mysticism, and superstition...If the themes I have mentioned interest you, I encourage you to see 'The Bacchae.' The show has a cast of 16 and features a number of superior performances that are well worth the price of admission." Full Review
"New York’s avant-garde Faux-Real Theatre specializes in staging the classics of Greek theatre with an immersive abandon...One virtue of the Faux-Real Theatre production, directed by Greenfield, is the cast is very youthful and multi-racial...If you’ve never seen a production of 'The Bacchae', you should rush down to La MaMa to see this one. It runs about one hour and a half but there is constant action and the plot of the classic is very clear in this production." Full Review
"Monologue after dialectical, moralizing, mind-numbing monologue is directed at the audience, repeatedly halting the action and killing any pace. The handling of the chorus is particularly bad...PJ Adzima was amazing. In a show that was dire, dull, and confusing, he shone through the fog like a ray of spectacular sunshine…Though the production is well-intentioned, it has little visceral thrill and the pacing of an archaeological dig...This iteration of ‘The Bacchae’ is failure of substance ov... Full Review
"Faux-Real Theatre doesn’t present the material in an extremely engaging way...The strongest aspect of the play is undoubtedly its namesake, the Bacchae. The group of women work perfectly as a unit, delivering impressively long chunks of text in complete synchronicity...'Bacchae' has plenty of dramatic moments. However, they’re rendered almost silly because of the props...If you want an interactive experience, or even a slightly racy date night, then you’ll leave 'The Bacchae' disappointed." Full Review
Cast & Creatives (23)
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