Monday, August 31, 2009

Broadway Monday

The Bacchae
Dionysus is a young god, angry that his mortal family has denied him a place of honor as a deity. His mother was a mistress of Zeus, and while pregnant she was killed because she looked upon Zeus in his divine form. Much of the family refuses to believe that Dionysus is the son of Zeus, and the young god is spurned in his home.
He has traveled the world over gathering a cult of female worshippers, The Bacchae.

As the play begins Dionysus has returned to his home disguised as a stranger, ready to take revenge on his family. He has driven the women of Thebes into an ecstatic frenzy, much to the horror of their families. Complicating matters, his cousin, King Pentheus, has declared a ban on the worship of Dionysus throughout Thebes.
This Greek tragedy is based on the mythological story of King Pentheus of Thebes and his mother Agavë, and their punishment by the god Dionysus for refusing to worship him. It is the classic story about what happens when a government attempts to outlaw desire.
Euripides' tragedy marks the fourth time a Greek work has been presented by The Public Theater's Shakespeare in the Park, following Electra (1964), Agamemnon (1977) and Medea (1986).
Performances of Shakespeare in the Park are Tuesday-Sunday at 8 PM at the beautiful Delacorte Theatre in Central Park.
Before I could get this up for today, the show announced it's closing for August 30th. Performances ran August 24th through the 30th not including previews. I hope you were lucky enough to have scored tickets!

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