It is all Greek to Alan Cumming

The Bacchae (also known as The Bacchantes) is a tragedy by the ancient Greek playwright Euripides. This new adaptation of what many consider to be one of the greatest of all Greek tragedies marks the return to the Scottish stage of award-winning Scottish actor Alan Cumming (Cabaret, Bent) for the first time in sixteen years. It’s a role this extraordinarily camp and charismatic actor seems to have been born to play.

Cumming, who won a Tony Award for Cabaret back in 1998, stars as the icon, hedonistic god, Dionysus, who returns home with his cult of female followers to exact his revenge. Unleashing the full force of female sexuality on the city, his presence enraptures the local women, awakening their own bacchic spirit.

This vibrant and colorful production, with its amazing special effects, powerfully dramatizes the conflict between the rational and emotional sides of the human psyche. Most notably, the opening, which sees Cumming flown onto the stage, upside down, wearing a gold frock and flashing his naked bum, is spectacular.

The Bacchae is undoubtedly one this year’s major theatre events and has received impressive reviews. The Herald called it “…an acting master-class...an electrifying piece of work that's part cabaret, all masterpiece.” While The Telegraph said is was “….a production that is as daring and outrageous as it is epic.” The Telegraph was equal in its praise for Cumming’s performance: “With his sly, insinuating manner, teasing jokes and mischievous smile, Cumming’s god of wine, theatre and wild abandonment is given a glittering, look-at-me performance (that’s) utterly irresistible.”

Directed by John Tiffany, this National Theatre of Scotland production premiered at the 2007 Edinburgh International Festival back in August. Following its successful run at the Theatre Royal, Glasgow, The Bacchae begins its West End run at the Lyric Hammersmith, London, from September 5th 2007 through to September 22nd 2007.