The Incredible Shamo rides again

Ok, so I went to see Shamo’s latest play the other night.  In all fairness, I should probably call it Helen’s play, since she did the translation and directed, and all, but… Shamo organised my comps (don’t tell Lisa!), so his play it is.

It was all Greek, and my notes in the first few minutes say stuff like “Ooh, how Wilde!” and “Relax, buddy, don’t recite!” and “Ahhh, there’s the requisite metric tonne of hubris we need to get this show on the road!”

Ok, so that last part’s exaggerated: I just wrote “…and there’s the pride,” but that’s official Wen’s Green Pen shorthand for the longer thought.

Shut up.

It was a lot of fun, and I kind of managed to forget that they were obviously going to end badly – aside from the chorus who (sorry) I really didn’t like (sorry, but ladies?  Actually getting INTO those dresses is a good first step if you’d like to stay in them.  Also?  Stop singing.) (No, really, stop.), everyone was very entertaining, though the direction was a little heavy-handed in places.

Helen very cutely sat in the audience, three rows back, dead centre, leaning forward in her seat and reciting along with the lines.  Lou reminded me that, when Shamo directed The Clouds, he did the same thing in the back row with us.  Must be a directing thing.

Anyway, click the link to read the review, as usual.  It’s up at The Program, but I’m using this forum to say oops, I mis-spelled Helen’s surname: Slaney, not Stanley.  Mea Culpa.

If you’re looking for something meaty to sink your mental teeth into, Omniprop’s production of The Bacchae is just what you’re after.  A new translation of Euripides’ work (by Helen Slaney, who also directs), this play has it all: elder statesmen warning of dire consequences, a prideful king facing his comeuppance, a vengeful (and nattily-dressed) God-in-human form taking vengeance, and, of course, the diaphanously-clad ladies of the id-driven Bacchae itself.

The God in question is Dionysus, played with decadent charm by Jan Mihal.  The people of Thebes have been saying nasty things about his mother (it’s a long story), so Dionysus has driven the women into a mad frenzy of lust and violence.  This sets up a conflict with Pentheus, King of Thebes (John Kelly, uptight and be-suited), who has been arresting Dionysus’ followers wherever he finds them.  Pentheus, despite the warnings of Tiresias and his grandfather Cadmus, denies Dionysus’ godhood, and arrests the God himself.  Of course, all hell breaks loose.

All the elements of a tragedy are here, but the translation allows for a surprising amount of comedy.  Dionysus’ costume and Mihal’s droll manner seem lifted directly from an Oscar Wilde play, while Pentheus’ descent into madness allows Kelly’s excellent comic timing to shine.  Tom Atkinson adopts an everyman Aussie accent to describe scenes of depravity that had the audience giggling even as it gasped, and a klutzy Teiresias ensures the opening exposition never drags.

This sense of fun makes the play’s tragic ending all the more shocking.  Cadmus and Agave’s final scene of grief could easily have jarred, or seemed histrionic, but Seamus Magee and Dani Matthews deserve credit for handling difficult material excellently.  Magee’s palpable anger and despair play beautifully against Matthews’ happy oblivion in some of the most moving moments of the performance.

The set is excellent – a multi-level platform acts as a mountain, and is used to great effect by Dionysus and Pentheus as they vie for dominance.  Kelly and Mihal move up and down the steps in an intricate dance of thrust and parry as visually arresting as anything The Bacchae has on offer.  A spot shines through the backdrop, a great effect providing a literal veil through which we see past events acted out as messengers speak to us.

Omniprop was founded by Classics students, and they bring a modern take to ancient plays with the confidence that comes from being able to translate the works personally.  The Bacchae is by turns ridiculous, overwhelming, and shocking, but it is always captivating.  The cast turn in strong performances, and I highly recommend the show.