Written by Euripedes
Directed by Joanne Akalaitis
Synopsis: Joanne Akalaitis' visionary interpretation of Euripides The Bacchae, featuring a lush choral score by Philip Glass, re-imagines the classic story about what happens when a government attempts to outlaw desire.
NEW YORK TIMES:
"I suppose I shouldn’t admit that I kept thinking about those raccoons all through the 90 minutes of JoAnne Akalaitis’s interpretation of “The Bacchae,” which opened last night in a production starring Jonathan Groff and Anthony Mackie, with music by Philip Glass. But, you see, those animals had everything that this show lacks: mystery, grace, charisma and (though they didn’t bare them) teeth."
Read the whole review HERE.
NEW YORK POST:
"EURIPIDES' "The Bacchae" is one of the wildest, most violent plays in the Greek canon. But until the very last minutes, you'd be hard-pressed to find much ferocity in JoAnne Akalaitis' production,..."
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NEW YORK DAILY NEWS:
"That fits the overthought but still uninteresting version directed by JoAnne Akalaitis, which comes streaked in red (inexplicably on actors' faces), dressed in orange (recycled fabric from Christo's "The Gates"?) and with a female chorus that stops the show (not in a good way). There's also music by Philip Glass, which is moody but lacks the urgency the story wants. "
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THEATERMANIA:
"Today, in front of an audience filled with people from a variety of religious -- and nonreligious -- backgrounds, that's a rather difficult precept to deliver. Yet in JoAnne Akalaitis' measured and often compelling staging, the play's still-timely message about the danger of going to extremes is brought strikingly to life."
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VARIETY:
"Since helmer Akalaitis obviously intended the amoral god of licentiousness to be portrayed as a petulant youth with curly locks and torn jeans, it might be argued that Groff ("Spring Awakening," "Hair") is only doing his job. But even in this context, he doesn't muster the ferocious anger Dionysus turns on the leaders of Thebes for rejecting his claims to divinity and banning his dangerous new religion. Nor is he particularly believable as an Olympian stud capable of driving masses of women into a state of violent sexual frenzy just by breathing into his microphone."
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BACKSTAGE:
""The Bacchae" is worth the trip for serious theatergoers, but Akalaitis hasn't solved the problem of making it relevant."
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TIME OUT NY:
" Only rarely—as in Rocco Sisto’s gory messenger speech—is the production’s physical impressiveness matched with dramatic power. Most of the time, Akalaitis settles for tame, tasteful spectacle: a teetotaler’s toast to wine."
Read the whole review HERE.
