I can’t say I’ve ever really felt a burning desire to watch a Greek tragedy enacted by players (not the yo whatup kind of players but the acting kind). The names Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides just don’t come up in my everyday conversations the way that Shakespeare does.
Accordingly, I was super excited when Jill scored two tickets to Shakespeare in the Park this week. A Midsummer Night’s Dream (a longtime favorite — I played Hermia in my 5th grade class production) with Anne Hathaway! Wait… nope, that’s over now. Instead, it turned out I’d be watching Bacchae. Hmm… I’ve never heard of that particular Shakespearean piece. This should be enlightening.
And enlightening it was. I thought I was going to be watching a Shakespearean rendition of some tale from Greek mythology, but it turns out that Euripedes, not Shakespeare, wrote Bacchae. Don’t you judge me. It’s called Shakespeare in the Park. Is it so preposterous that I assumed Bacchae was a lesser-known Shakespearean play?
Anyway, so it was actually a really cool, modern take on Greek tragedy. There’s a chorus (10 women dressed in shimmery, Grecian-inspired orange jumpsuits) and a few actors who really just deliver monologues. There isn’t much action occurring on the stage, more explication and storytelling, really. If that sounds like it would be boring to you, reconsider. The monologues are very dramatic, the actors have strong stage presence, and on the rare occasions that there is dialogue, it’s actually pretty engaging. If you can get past the fact that it’s a tragedy, people die, then it’s quite an experience.
It’s FREE, it’s cultural, they let you bring your own wine (but no glass – plastic only), and you can picnic! I mean, how many chances do you think you’re going to have to watch a Greek tragedy? Not many, I reckon. So check it out. Click here to line up in the virtual line for a same-day show. Through August 30, 2009.
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eat. shop. love. nyc. 
Really? Oh man! I thought it was Shakespeare, too. Next year, let’s be sure to score actual Shakespeare. Minus Anne Hathaway. 😛
Comment by measurer August 13, 2009 @ 9:03 pm