Scottish actor Alan Cumming returns to the London stage later this year, playing Dionysus in a new version of The Bacchae.
The production is being mounted by the National Theatre of Scotland and the Edinburgh International Festival. It will be performed at the Festival, then at the Theatre Royal, Glasgow, before taking up residence at the Lyric Hammersmith from 5-22 September.
The play has been adapted by David Greig from a literal translation by Ian Ruffell. Greig, who was nominated for the 2004 Laurence Olivier Award for Best Revival for his version of Caligula, is one of the UK’s most prolific and respected playwrights. His 1996 play, Europe, was recently performed at the Barbican.
The Bacchae is directed by John Tiffany, whose production of Black Watch for the National Theatre of Scotland has become a phenomenal success.
Cumming has most recently been seen in the West End in Bent at Trafalgar Studios. His acclaimed performance in the 1993 Donmar Warehouse production of Cabaret earned him a nomination for Best Actor in a Musical at the 1994 Laurence Olivier Awards. The Bacchae follows hedonistic Dionysus who returns home with a vengeful troupe of female followers prepared to unleash the power of their sexuality on the city of Thebes in this tale of conflict between emotion and rational thought.
Tickets for The Bacchae at Lyric Hammersmith go on sale at the beginning of July.
JFC