The Bacchae....Anyone?

[Millie315]

Posted: 8/12/09 at 9:44am

So last night was the first preview of The Bacchae, did anyone happen to see it? I usher for it and I know how the ushers feel about it but I was hoping to hear what an audience member thought. Anyone?

[April Saul]

Posted: 8/12/09 at 10:10am

Hi Millie--
Several people on the other board saw it, and weren't at all thrilled...hope if they're right, it improves! At least it doesn't sound like it'll be a hard ticket to get...

[AC126748]

Posted: 8/12/09 at 10:22am

The worst production I've seen in ten years of attending Shakespeare in the Park.
My review

[Millie315]

Posted: 8/12/09 at 11:24am

Thanks guys! I would love to hear some more reviews!

[mybigsplash]

Posted: 8/12/09 at 11:28am

I love Greek Tragedies, but they need to be done well, in order for them to keep an uneducated audience's interest. This play is 2000 years old, its not Mamma Mia.

[teacake823]

Posted: 8/12/09 at 11:56am

I thought the show was entirely misconceived, and I second another opinion that it was by far the worst show I have ever seen in the Park. It's sad - I was thrilled to see it, and then utterly disgusted at just how bad it was. A show about debauchery, wine, and murder should not have been as painfully boring as it was.

The interpretation of the chorus was particularly awful! The chanting music that was written for the chorus further served to just drag everything out, and make it utterly painful. It was a very poor music choice. The chorus parts could easily have been cut down, and the time filled with interpretation of what was actually going on in the hills above Thebes, and/or SOMETHING remotely interesting. Instead, the chorus stood in place and sang in tones similar to sirens, hardly moving at all. This was hardly the bacchanalian chorus of women I fully expected it to be.

Jonathan Groff & Anthony Mackie were entirely under-utilized. Their 'big' scene - if you can even call it that - was a huge let-down. The woman who played Agave (name escapes me at the moment, sorry) was on an entirely different planet from the rest of the cast. The melodrama was just not in place to support her anguished tones at the end, and I almost laughed as a result.

Jonathan Groff's costume was awful - he looked like The Fonz from Happy Days, which was another joke.

The set did nothing for me, and the levels also went underutilized.

A 90-minute play felt more like a 3-hour test of patience.

Overall, the production just felt like it was slapped onto the stage with very little thought, which I'm sure is not true as the director, Joanne Akalaitis, has apparently been hard at work on it for the past 2 years. It was just one huge embarrassment of a production that I would want to quickly forget about if I were involved in. I couldn't believe how many missed opportunities there were to bring the bacchan women to life, to bring the city of Thebes into disarray, and to display Dionysus as a true sex magnet.

But at the end of the day, at least it was free and at least it was a beautiful night! I just wish someone had stepped in to rescue the show from going down the route it went. So sad.

[ColorTheHours048]

Posted: 8/12/09 at 12:17pm

Well, that's disappointing.

[acd114]

Posted: 8/12/09 at 2:06pm

I thought that the show was disturbing and left the audience with feelings of hopelessness and pathos... which is exactly what a Greek Tragedy is supposed to do.
I can't say that I "enjoyed" the show in the traditional sense of the word, because I walked out feeling unsettled... but I can tell you that I am glad that I went and I'm very glad that I got to see the show.
It was an excellent interpretation of a play that is hardly ever performed and is mainly read... because the chorus gives so much of the exposition and development. I thought that this chorus moved the play along well and wove together everything.
Jonathan Groff as Dionysis... he played an excellent self absorbed god who is consumed with his pride and retribution.
I recommend seeing the play... just go in knowing that the plot is not Twelfth Night... as I told the gal in line who asked the plot yesterday, "Well, it's Greek tragedy. Everybody dies or is given a horrendous fate."

[Drunk Chita Rivera]

Posted: 8/12/09 at 2:42pm

Is it worth it if a ticket is free?

[Millie315]

Posted: 8/12/09 at 3:45pm

whats the "other board"?

[AC126748]

Posted: 8/12/09 at 4:47pm

Drunk Chita: No.

Millie: talkinbroadway.com/allthatchat

[RentBoy86]

Posted: 8/12/09 at 9:11pm

I don't get why Groff gets work.

[WithoutATrace]

Posted: 8/12/09 at 10:36pm

Just got back from tonight's performance...and it was very painful.

Groff and Mackie were both miscast, in my opinion, and the use of the chorus was horrible. I found that I was cringing every time they started singing again. Sadly, even the wonderful Andre DeShields couldn't save this production in his minor role.

The sets of curved bleachers were hideous and not used wisely. Also, the way the director had Groff with that microphone acting like a rockstar reminded me of DUDE: THE HIGHWAY LIFE.

At least 20 people walked out during the very long 90 minutes. This is not even worth seeing for free. Absolutely dreadful.
Updated On: 8/12/09 at 10:36 PM

[EdenIsMyHero]

Posted: 8/12/09 at 11:15pm

Can anyone report on how early they've been arriving to get tickets? I'm planning to go next Wednesday. Thanks!

[WithoutATrace]

Posted: 8/12/09 at 11:27pm

Whizzer and I got to the standby line today around 5pm, and we were the second people in line. Getting tickets for this disaster should be a breeze...

[BumbleWumble]

Posted: 8/13/09 at 12:12am

I heard there was a random raccoon about the stage tonight... lol

[WithoutATrace]

Posted: 8/13/09 at 12:16am

If there was, I didn't see it (but then again, I was in and out of consciousness throughout the show).

[jansal]

Posted: 8/13/09 at 12:36am

There were several raccoon incidents tonight. One of them ran around the audience's feet, and then tried to get at someone's hair (oddly enough, it was Jim Rado). And in another section there was a raccoon in heat that was snarling, hissing and growling underneath the seats. The whole section was pretty freaked out.

[CurtainPullDowner]

Posted: 8/13/09 at 12:42am

Without A Trace:
For a dude who was around in 1972 to actually see it,
you look Good!

Rentboy:
Groff gets cast because Directors see his talent,
They can make mistakes too.
I am interested to see what Ang Lee does with him in the WOODSTOCK flick.

I was reading THE BACCHAE today at Barnes and Noble, how old is the character spose to be anyway?

[WithoutATrace]

Posted: 8/13/09 at 12:49am

Believe me, Curtain, if I had been alive in 1972, I would have seen DUDE at least three times during its brief Broadway run (and I'm sure I would have loved every minute of it).

[RentBoy86]

Posted: 8/13/09 at 11:23am

Curtain, I've now seen Groff perform in three roles and I've yet to see his "talent." He has a pretty voice, but nothing spectacular, but I don't see what everyone else sees.

[WhizzerMarvin]

Posted: 8/13/09 at 2:12pm

I'm finally getting around to posting something about last night, as I did attend the performance with WAT. The show was pretty painful, and I was very antsy by the end for it be over.

One thing I will give the director is that she had a vision for what she wanted the production to be. Unfortunately, the vision was rather misguided.

The set consisted of the "Glory Days" bleachers arching from the ground, and a small pool of water across the front of the stage. The set of "Twelfth Night" blended so beautifully into the park. This one just stuck out like a sore thumb. It was ugly, ugly, ugly.

The chorus was kind of a mess and after about two minutes they became very monotonous. It was during these long stretches you could most visibly see the audience grow restless (and by the end taking action by abandoning sinking ship). A good 20 people continued to walk out during the last 10 minutes alone.

The casting/acting was also a major source of concern. I had seen Groff in four previous productions (Spring Awakening, Hair, Prayer For My Enemy and The Singing Forest). I'm a fan of his work and was excited to see him take on Dionysus. I questioned many of his acting choices, including a high pitched cackle he used at least three times. He even seemed uncomfortable while singing the little music assigned him.

Mackie seemed even more out of his element than Groff. Andre de Shields had one short scene in the beginning and then basically didn't reappear.

The audience that remained gave very polite applause. I hope for the sake of Groff and de Shields that this productions some sort of footing before the critics come to weigh in.

[bwayrose2]

Posted: 8/13/09 at 10:23pm

I actually really enjoyed this production. I'm unemployed and the fact that it was free may have had something to do with it - I also saw and loved TWELFTH NIGHT.

I didn't love all of it, but I found Groff to be a refreshing Dionysus. I hated the Alan Cumming snarky-type of Dionysus that I saw at Lincoln Center Festival. I don't find him or his preening at all sexy. Groff on the other hand, I do, even if in a hot, boyish way. I could see that Dionysus would come down and rather inhabit a body that looked like Groff than one that looked like Cumming!

I disagree about the TWELFTH NIGHT set. I thought that was horrendous and clearly the director was not interested in directing a park show - maybe he had thoughts of Bway in his heads because that set, unless you were dead center, was horrible for sightlines. Did you not notice it was a square that didn't utilize the ampitheater very well? It had all this dead space in the black apron and the cast seemed very far away. They performed in profile as though they were a proscenium. It seemed a waste of an outdoor ampitheater.

What I liked about THE BACCHAE most was the use of the stage. The cast seemed a lot closer (even though I was in similar seats) and used all of it.

I liked the chorus and thought De Shields was effective, if underused. I thought the modern interpretation was interesting.

I didn't love it, it wasn't my favorite show of the year. But I found it highly theatrical and it was interesting to see a Greek tragedy in such a setting and outdoors. And the price was right.

[RentBoy86]

Posted: 8/13/09 at 11:31pm

When have ya'll been getting there? I remember this time last year me and my friend went around 9am on a Saturday and got seats for HAIR in like row R?

[CAX]

Posted: 8/14/09 at 1:43am

Okay, so I saw this thing tonight and I just have to say.... it was a let down. A real LETDOWN. There was absolutely nothing consistent about it.

Dionysus was a mixture of the lead from Grease and a weird watered down Ledger Joker (complete with smeared lipstick mouth). I didn't see Hair or Spring Awakening, but I could imagine he would have been fine there, but the GOD OF ECSTACY? He is also the God of madness, orgies and all things debaucherous. This Groff kid looked like he was 15 years old.


Onto the King (Mackie)... The guy was out of his depth. Plain and simple. He had very little stage presence. He seemed far too young, or just to out of scale to be playing this part.

The older actors sorta mopped up the stage with the others. Both Messenger characters were well played. Andre DeShields was of service, but his characterization seemed out of place with so many vacant performances.

Agave, like others have said, was a tad over the top. But she was in the ballpark of the Greek Tragedy scale. She looked over the top because the lead of the show spent his time, swishing across stage and cackling like a maniacal cartoon character.


The CHORUS. OK. They are what kick the play in the teeth. I laughed more than once. I felt as though they belonged in The King & I. When they came on AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN, you felt the departure into a completely different production. While they sounded lovely, some of them seemed to think they were in Miss Saigon, while others were in 42nd Street. It was just a hot tranny mess.

I'm saddened because I love the Greek plays. No doubt producing them for contemporary audiences is a difficult task, so I commend the effort, but this was a stinker for sure.