The Bacchae of Euripides, a satirical play by Wole Soyinka comes alive at the National Theatre
By Sylvester Asoya
The Bacchae of Euripides draws substantially from the Greek mythology in terms of content and form. Yet, it is still an African play, written by Wole Soyinka, the Nobel Laureate, for the African stage. Published in 1973, Soyinka makes an audacious statement on the misuse and peril of power, especially in developing countries with The Bacchae of Euripides.
Since the play came out shortly after the civil war in Nigeria, the Nobel Laureate may have been influence by the crass opportunism of the military elite of that era. Nearly 40 years after, little or nothing has changed. Nigeria, like most African countries is still in the grip of dictatorship and maladministration, while crime, insecurity, nepotism, and looting of the treasury remain a dominant feature.
The play opens in a simplistic manner, using the one-act-play format that employs only one scene. The Bacchae of Euripides centres around Penthens whose grandfather and mother, Kadmos and Agave respectively, are worshipers of Diaonysos.
But Penthens decides not to follow the family’s religious path. So, he defies, mocks, underrates and rebels against the power and claims of Dionysis whose worship is characterised by pain, mysticism, obscenities, debauchery, hypnotism and drunkeness. He is later lured into the music and larger-than-life world of Dionysis and ends on a tragic note in the hands of his mother, Agave, who in a state of frenzy kills him. Agave thought she had killed a lion after killing her son. And this leads to natural tragedy and regrets.
The play will run at the National Theatre and the Muson centre in Lagos before traveling to Abuja in the second week of April. It is a play that promises to re-enact those unique theatrical qualities usually associated with the Soyinka theatre. The work is not only rich in dialogue but also excellent in the treatment of social and religious issues.
However, the play is generally regarded as one of Soyinka’s most “difficult” plays. In fact, it is the least performed work of Soyinka. This difficulty perhaps explains why very few theatre directors ever look in the direction of The Bacchae of Euripides. Professor Ahmed Yerima, Director-General, National Theatre and National Troupe of Nigeria, who incidentally is the director of the production acknowledges this fact in an interview with TheNEWS. He agreed that the work is a difficult one to handle but that the relevance and topicality of the play’s theme would naturally attract any good theatre director.
Yerima, who was Soyinka’s student many years ago at the University of Ife, Ile-Ife is hoping to do justice to the interpretation of The Bacchae of Euripides. This is in addition to what looks like an official endorsement from the playwright himself. Before the selection of the play, Yerima had contacted the Nobel Laureate for permission to produce the play. After what appeared like an initial reluctance, Soyinka eventually agreed to the production.
Those familiar with the history of The Bacchae of Euripides know that Soyinka hardly consents on its production because of the likelihood of misinterpretation and sometimes, outright misrepresentation. The play was performed only once by the National Theatre of Great Britain, but Soyinka was not particularly happy with its realisation. According to sources close to this magazine, the Nobel Laureate was unhappy with the British director for not identifying the play’s preoccupation with the African reality.
This is the challenge for Yerima and his production crew. And he knows that expectations are high. So the director is giving the production all the attention it deserves. “It is a serious play, so we are doing all we can to present it so,” he said. Part of this serious presentation includes reducing embellishment and spectacle because, according to Yerima, “we want the audience to think. This play looks at the core values of our present reality.”
But The Bacchae of Euripides is significant in the sense that it satirises certain political issues and actors who are ill-prepared for political office. Those coming to lead, it argues, must not only be prepared but must also be ready to render serve. These and more await lovers of theatre as this season of plays opens at the National Theatre.
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