tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10659275.post1836772230665881668..comments2023-11-04T01:41:23.277+00:00Comments on Memorabilia Antonina: The Bacchae, with Alan CummingTony Keenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07125792825206480340noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10659275.post-3753047315760114162007-09-20T19:50:00.000+01:002007-09-20T19:50:00.000+01:00Disclaimer - I don't think I have ever read an ess...Disclaimer - I don't think I have ever read an essay on the Bacchae and the text I had from school is covered with notes about feminism (which I now consider to be utter tripe and I don't know WHAT they were trying to teach us - I had never even heard of the Lenaea until A219 (OU course) or, for that matter, a city-state or the Peloponnesian War). Also, when I speak of what women should / should not do, I am speaking about what I understand to be the expectations of C5 BC Athenians, not my own, and not modern. AND I do not profess to be an expert on either Euripides or Greek theatre so the following is possibly (probably) misinformed and ill explained so read on at your peril...<BR/><BR/><BR/>I thought that the presentation of the chorus / bacchae was a bit confused - but that could have been the intention. It seemed to me that some of the chorus members reacted almost as C21 women would to hearing restrictions on women spoken about. <BR/><BR/>Euripides was not a feminist - the women are not justified in their behaviour on account of being suppressed by Pentheus (in fact, I don't think they are even consciously rebelling, but acting because of Dionysian influence). I know that women would leave the _oikos_ for religious festivals, but this was a foreign religion, and celebrated in the wilds of the mountain-side - not even in the civilized environs of a town. I could be wrong, but I think that an audience could be made to understand better exactly why it is that Pentheus is upset - and that in the context of his time and place, he is right to be so. Perhaps this is just an issue of what can be lost in cultural translation. <BR/><BR/>The chorus was sexy, but didn't seem very linked to the bacchae on Kithairon. And IMHO the chorus should later have been a bit more sympathetic to Agaue (but that's just my preference - I don't know how this is usually played)<BR/><BR/>I thought Dionysus was great - Cumming certainly knows how to play to the audience. Don't know about you, but his entrance made me think of the antichrist - I wonder if that was intentional? I thought that the production effectively managed to get across that Pentheus was given SO many chances to change his mind and that in that way Dionysus had a point. I think that his mistreatment could have been stronger to heighten this effect, but it wouldn't have worked with the way he was played. Again, I don't know what is usually done.<BR/><BR/>I thought Pentheus was alright - I think he got across the broom-up-the-ass well, but didn't (to me) put across any real redeeming qualities - nevertheless, I did feel for him. <BR/><BR/>They missed out what happens to Kadmos and Harmonia - that didn't bother me, it always struck me as unnecessary!<BR/><BR/>I think that the split between before and after Pentheus' death was too stark - I initially liked it, but have come to the conclusion that the first half was a bit too modern to gel well with the high tragedy of the second half. That said, I'm not a director and I don't know what I would have made me like it more - perhaps a bit more horror in the first part. A lot of what distanced me from the second half was not the horror (I knew exactly what was to happen), but the way in which there was so much movement in the first half and the second bit was so static. Also, I think that the horror should come from the exploration of the extremes of the Dark Side of human nature (found in both males and females), and the effect of ignoring / suppressing it, but it seemed to be a bit lost in the blood. <BR/><BR/>All of that aside, I did actually enjoy the play; I thought the first half was engaging, the singing was good, the comedy was great and stuff that makes your eyebrows smoke is always fun.CariadBachhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02112563029407777824noreply@blogger.com