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New Moon is nothing if not an international advertisement for the hungry virtues of virginity and young people can’t get enough of it
The Twilight Saga: New Moon
Theatre
A smart, prickly and rewarding view of sexual and emotional confusion
Cock
Restaurants
Kitchen W8 is a bargain for this area, if such sophistication is what you crave
Kitchen W8
Too long and drawn out but very entertaining with excellent special effects
This is a peculiar play and does not work for me. Some of it is very funny but there are real flaws
Alex has a strong powerful voice and was faultless, she is far better now than she was on the X-Factor
London,
Evening Standard rating
Reader rating
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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