The Bacchae at Citizens Theatre, Glasgow Review
Written by Kerry for Theatre and Tonic
Disclaimer: Gifted tickets in exchange for an honest review
Company of Wolves’ “The Bacchae” is a retelling of the myth of Dionysus, the son of the god Zeus, born from his mother’s ashes and Zeus’ thigh, making him twice-born.
The piece is solely performed by Ewan Downie, who enters the stage in what looks very similar to Maria’s outfit when leaving the abbey in The Sound of Music, of course, this being a compliment. Keeping the costume soft, light and unrestrictive provides Downie with the opportunity to explore the physicality of the myth and all its characters within. This is solidified by his ability to jump between the players, using their emotional weight to his advantage. However, with the case of many one person shows, which “The Bacchae” is not immune to, is that of repetitiveness. When the entire outward appearance of the production to its audience is down to one actor, a choice that starts out exciting and new can soon feel overused and ineffective. There were also a few points where I felt I was lost in the plot, finding it a struggle to keep up with it all.
What interested me the most in this production was the choices in lighting, four pillars were placed in their own metal cage, those like you would find in a supermarket used to move stock, placed behind the action, would move through different colours depending on character, location and even emotions of a character. This, along with lights projected from either side of the stage, helps to immerse the audience in the characters' state of mind, like when Zeus reveals his true state to Semele, the lights begin to flicker. We were witnessing a transformation of godly proportions, so much that it begins to feel unholy to the mind. There also seemed to be a constant humming noise, which I believe may have been coming from the fog machine. But if anything, it added to the piece, meaning there was never a moment of silence, and therefore the audience’s minds are not able to wander too much.
“The Bacchae” explores not just the myth of Dionysus, but also its emotional weight, bringing a physicality to the solo show. Yet does start to become safe and struggles to continue new and exciting momentum through its second half.
Plays until 7 March 2026 at the Citizens Theatre in Glasgow, and tours until 29 May. Further information can be found by visiting here.
★★★
