Review: Bacchae (Olivier Theatre)

Review by Sam Waite

⭐️⭐️⭐️

When remounting a Greek tragedy, and when establishing yourself in a new position, it can be important to begin as you mean to go on. From its opening scene, and perhaps even before, Bacchae seems to do just that for the National Theatre’s newest Director, Indhu Rubasingham, simultaneously resting and shattering an atmosphere within the Olivier auditorium.

A bloodied horse is spotted by palace guards in Thebes, its rider, Queen Agave, seemingly slain, and they are thrown into a melodramatic frenzy. That is, until a record scratch introduces Vida, leader of the titular Bacchae, a fierce troupe of women answering to no man but Dionysos. Her Majesty is not dead, but has been compelled by the half-God to join the Bacchae, and as she comes around to their ideas, she is developing a monstrous appetite.

Playwright Nina Taleghani addresses the idea of the Greek Chorus directly, Vida explaining that beyond their narrative role her troupe will also observe and react to the action. The sweary, linguistically modern Bacchae also serve as an access point into the story, as well as the traditional structure to which they are connected, an initially effective approach that unfortunately strains as the show plays out. Taleghani scores some big laughs with Vida and co’s brash contributions, even though a reliance on four-letter words and shock humour becomes gradually overfamiliar.

Entering the auditorium, Robert Jones’ set is an arresting sight. A circular lighting rig hangs vertically over stacked marble slabs, as if we might ascend and pass through to this world of brutality and horrors. Coupling the inevitable raising of this rig with a moment of comedy is a smart choice from Rubasingham, pairing a moment of intense drama with one of broad humour. Later, the slabs with rotate both in unison and independently of one another, bringing a real sense of grandeur and excitement to Jones’ design that serves the epic narrative well:

Clare Perkins and Sharon Small give the evening’s most memorable performances, as Vida and Queen Agave respectively. Perkins plays into the brashness of the Bacchae leader and has a strong mix of commanding presence and motherly joviality. Small, meanwhile, is clearly having a whale of a time as Agave drifts further into her cannibalistic revelry, and has a real knack for selling the melodrama when the character’s humanity is allowed to be recalled.

The cast is peppered with strong performers, with some standout moments from Dionysos himself, Ukweli Roach, and intimidating but intelligently lacking prisoner Bubull, Reuben Johnson. James McArdle, as Agave’s song King Pentheus, is tasked with playing the straight man to the comedic figures around him, and does a fine job of anchoring the story, bringing genuine depth to the character burdened with keeping afloat the narrative as the Bacchae try to turn the whole thing into a party.

Rubasingham shows a strong command over the stage itself, her Bacchae running free across the expansive levels with a clarity of focus and purpose, all while creating the idea of random scattering and unbridled energy. Where her direction does waver is in guided the performances, colliding with the shortcomings of Taleghani’s text. As Bacchae’s titular women become somewhat stale in their outlandish words and actions, the insistence on keeping their energy at its highest level from the first moments until the visceral ending makes them feel too desperate to shock, trying too hard to be a modern, edgy version of an already compelling band of characters.

Opening with a ferocity and focus that eventually threatens to become its undoing, Bacchae is a thrilling but uneven adaptation, succeeding magnificently when at its best, but unfortunately becoming quite redundant when not. Still, the creative vision and visual storytelling, including some striking lighting from Oliver Fenwick, are so sharp and well-orchestrated that I look forward to seeing what else is to come of Indhu Rubasingham’s tenure.

Bacchae plays in the Olivier Theatre, at the National Theatre until November 1st

For tickets and information visit https://www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/productions/bacchae/

Photos by Marc Brenner