The Bacchae is an ancient Greek tragedy over 2,000 years old. Written by Euripides, an Athenian playwright, during the last few years of life, it tells the story of King Pentheus of Thebes and his mother Agave. Agave had rejected the cult of the God Dionysos, so he brought his frenzied cult to Thebes with tragic consequences.
When Dionysos arrives, he recruits the women of the city and whips them into an orgy of debauchery and wild abandon. The King, desperate to find out what was going on, is convinced to adorn women’s clothes and go undercover. Agave, his mother, has been caught up in this recruitment and when Pentheus is discovered by the women, in a frenzy does not recognise him but instructs her fellow followers to rip him asunder. It is Dionysos’ revenge.
Company of Wolves’ Ewan Downie, our writer and performer’s association with ancient Greek drama probably goes back further than his previous one-man performance of Achilles, which was widely and critically acclaimed. With equal fervour he has turned his attention to another well known Greek myth with customary skill.
Downie enters the stage and begins by rhythmically reciting and chanting Ancient Greek. It establishes both medium and source effectively – this shall be poetic and true to its source. Downie is dressed in a tabard over a gown which suggests the later disguise Pentheus adopts. The text, authored by Downie, is filled with poetic form and the beauty of this lyricism, matches the dramatic narrative perfectly. The story is driven with the combined skill of the words and the physicality Downie employs to deliver the wildness of the Bacchanal, followers of Dionysos, and the confusion and stillness of King Pentheus. That combination of the physical and verbal narrative works well most of the time. When it works best it helps us to understand the narrative and maintain our focus. However, when the mythology and the lyricism clash, we struggle to hold on. At times, an over reliance on the cleverness of the text. This masks some of the emotion, especially of Pentheus, meaning at times he felt a little caricatured. We lost our sense of connection.
Downie’s physical telling of the story is dynamic, weaving from high intensity around the stage, mimicking and recreating the frenzy, as well as more contemplative periods where he comments upon the action. The soundscape is an additional edge to the piece which emotionally helps to connect us with Downie’s text. It does not quite square the circle, but it helps to complete much of the connections between thought and action, building up frenzies and delivering quietness when required. That contrast heightens the drama and like a good film score, matches the action Downie has choreographed.
Bacchae has a simple set and is performed in front of four cages with neon lights changing colours. It creates almost a futuristic, post apocalyptic vision which fits well with the unfolding tragedy. It suggests a warning for the future and connects us to an ancient past.
Downie’s costume challenges our orthodoxy of a binary sexuality which adds to the understanding as this is a tale of a man dressed as a woman attempting to infiltrate women and their society. Once the disguise is off, tragedy unfolds and before then Downie acts as a guide, once in full dress, he is the focus of the tragic consequences of his own mother’s frenzy. One note would be to find something better than a plastic bottle from which the dousing of Pentheus happens. He is drenched by the mob, and Downie uses a full bottle of water to pour over himself. Given the quality of what we have seen this feels tawdry.
This is a challenging piece of work which not only takes a mythological tale from two centuries past but also mixes both the physical and the lyrical poetry in a style and structure which is generally effective. They match each other in their high art fashion, but they also feel accessible so that you get the visual if the aural lets you down – most of the time. Downie’s greatest skill is therefore to take a complex story and through the combination of the physical and poetic to allow his audience to access an ancient Greek tragedy for a 21st Century audience, which may otherwise feel inaccessible. It is an impressive piece of work.
The Bacchae, Assembly Roxy, 31st July – 24th August, 12 noonÂ
Review date: Friday 22nd August 2025
