The University of Rhode Island theatre department showed an excellent modern interpretation of “Bakkhai,” from Feb. 28 to March 2, at the J-studio in the Fine Arts Center.
“Bakkhai” is a Greek tragedy, written by Euripedes. It involves the Greek god Dionysus, King Pentheus of Thebes and Agave, Pentheus’ mother. The play was very well written and has survived the test of time for centuries, and I feel as though it 100% needs to be held in high regard.
It’s an excellent play and has a very interesting storyline, and it isn’t hard to catch on as you watch. I went into this play blind not knowing much about it at all. I simply wanted to see a play and review it.
But what a good show it was; the theatre department did a great job in portraying the play in their own way. Everybody on stage was very well prepared and completely enveloped themselves into their respective roles with ease, it seemed.
Taking more of a modern approach to the production, the performers used more familiar language throughout the show and even portrayed Dionysus as a woman. Putting their own spin and offering a twist from traditional interpretations of Greek mythology.
This not only made a more casual feel to this rather touching tragedy but also helped in making it easier for the audience to follow the content of this ancient play. Retelling it in a way that you and I may understand better.
The acting was incredible, and I admired the way everyone worked together on stage and how confident they were in their roles. My favorite part of the whole production was the music.
The songs were very rock-influenced, and I love that so much. The songs helped in tying some loose ends together throughout the show, so in my opinion, the songs made the show as awesome as it was.
I take no credit whatsoever from the excellent performers that played the story out on stage because they did wonderfully. However, I believe the songs were the real driving force behind the play’s story.
I have good reason to believe that too. If you listen to the lyrics of the songs, it narrates the whole story and helps in interpreting the actions that were portrayed on stage.
The ranges of the singers’ voices were spectacular too. There was a three-person chorus singing the songs, and you were able to hear the chorus bind together.
At certain points of the show, we actually got to see individual members of the chorus sing their own parts too, and advance the story in their own way.
On top of that, during the music acts, the performers put together a very in-depth and interesting choreography piece. I can tell the cast took a lot of time to perfect the choreography, and I really respected that work ethic. It showed their dedication to making the show as detailed as it could be, and how much work they were willing to put in to make it spectacular.
I had one of my best theatre experiences in a while right here at URI, and I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed it.
I always love to watch a good play or musical performance, even if I don’t know much about it going into it. That was exactly what I did here; I went in blind, then I came out of it wanting to know when the next performance is and what the URI Department of Theatre will come up with next.
