MINNEAPOLIS — The actors play characters who have been invited, under a spell, to do things they've never done before.
And they do it in a way that is so unlike your typical play, it creates a sneaking suspicion that they're inviting the audience to do the same.
"The Bacchae" feels a little different from what you might see on another weekend at the Guthrie Theater. The set is spare, and so are the costumes. The actors tell the story with their voices, their bodies and one prop each: A wooden staff.
Aaron Poochigian's modern translation of Euripides' Greek tragedy tells the story of Dionysus, who visits the city of Thebes to prove he's the son of a god - and to settle a score. He whips the women of the city into a frenzy that causes them to hunt and kill like the men of their day.
As the actors explore these new versions of themselves - and the repercussions of returning to the old versions of themselves - the audience gets that chance as well.
"The Bacchae," directed by Anne Bogart, is a production of the ensemble-based SITI company. Their goal is revitalizing and redefining theater with an emphasis on cultural exchange. This theme becomes more overt when we see the final monologue, first of triumph and then slowly descending into horror, delivered in Japanese.
THE BACCHAE
Guthrie Theater
McGuire Proscenium Stage
Feb. 29-April 5
Tickets start at $25
Tickets and more information
Editor's Note: KARE 11 was invited to this performance by the Guthrie Theater.
