Ultima Vez / Wim Vandekeybus - Die Bakchen - Trailer

World premiere on March 15th 2019 at Cuvilliéstheatre, Munich (DE).

In Euripides’ Bacchae, one of the great fables in world literature, it’s all about the tension between the city and nature, between law and transgression, between culture and drives. Dionysus and his votaries are not welcome in Thebes, the city of King Pentheus. Pentheus opposes the intoxicating and irrational cult of the new halfgod, who mainly attracts women - and wants to drive him out of the city. Revenge is what Dionysus is looking for. He tries to force a confrontation by letting himself be captured by Pentheus. Dionysus invites Pentheus to secretly attend - unseen and dressed as a woman - the orgies that are held outside the walls of the city. There, Pentheus is murdered by his own mother Agave, who in her intoxicated state, mistakes him for a wild animal and tears him to pieces. The animalistic, irrational, intoxicative elements that have been ousted from civilisation, all return in the form of blindness, destruction and aggression…

For the creation of Die Bakchen, the Residenztheater in Munich and Ultima Vez join forces. Euripides’ tragedy is brought to the stage in Die Bakchen by Wim Vandekeybus. Peter Verhelst has adapted the text. His poetic wording has broken the fable open and brought the narrative back to life in an energetic and witty play of words. Vincent Glowinski starts painting live and brings life to the surrounding landscape. The soundtrack and live performance is arranged by Dijf Sanders. Isabelle Lhoas is responsible for costuming.