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A Sentimental Journey
Film
This is a shocking, replenishing film, not to be missed
Green Zone
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It is great that Bruno Loubet is back — and at prices that are eminently fair
Bistro Bruno Loubet
The action and direction are superb and the acting good, but the plot is so pathetic it defies belief
Wonderful - beautifully acted and gloriously funny, particularly Simon Russell Beale and Fiona Shaw
Probably the most important photography exhibition london has ever seen
London,
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There are coups de théâtre galore in The Bacchae
From Alan Cumming's first entrance as Dionysus - upside down on a wire from the flies, bare buttocks exposed as his gold lamé kilt falls down - one knows this is not another dusty old production of Euripedes.
Then, rock-star-style, Cumming is joined by his "backing band", the Bacchae, 10 black women in blood-red dresses, who burst into a song-and-dance number.
David Greig's witty and modern version is given a stunning production by John Tiffany for the National Theatre of Scotland. They draw much camp comedy from Dionysus's fluid sexuality, but the play's troubling moral themes are never neglected.
We are in Thebes, where Dionysus, son of Zeus and mortal Semele, returns from exile and declares himself a god. The king, Pentheus (Tony Curran), dismisses him as a fraud, but the women of Thebes are soon under his spell.
Pentheus, too, weakens and allows himself to be lured to the hills, where he meets a bloody death at the hands of the Bacchae.
Cumming, amid a strong cast, is superb as the playful but vengeful Dionysus. Miriam Buether's design is a visual delight, there are coups de théâtre galore and never has Greek tragedy been such fun. This production is coming to the Lyric Hammersmith next month - book now.
• Until Saturday. Information: 0131 473 2000, www.eif.co.uk.
Details are correct at the time of publication - please check with venue before booking.
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