Reviews for The Bacchae
The Washington Post
May 16, 2012
” Where many Greek stagings drag, this one sails; you feel everyone’s on the brink…Dread and apprehension are in the air, thanks not only to the earthy, half-possessed chorus but to rock-solid acting…” -Nelson Pressley
DC Metro Theater Arts
May 16, 2012
“WSC Avant Bard manages to infuse Euripides’ tragedy with energy, immediacy, tension, and excitement….under Steven Scott Mazzola’s direction, the audience hangs on every word.” – Pat Davis
DC Theatre Scene
May 16, 2012
“If you do not wish to go for what is ancient, then go for what is modern, or perhaps timeless – Vales’ terrific score; the beautiful performance of the chorus; or the concept of surrendering to ecstasy for the glory of God.” – Tim Treanor
Showbiz Radio
May 16, 2012
“The chorus is literally the central element of the Director Steven Scott Mazzloa’s well-conceived production… A particularly nice touch is the use of several chorus members as musicians to accompany the singing.”
Washingtonian
May 16, 2012
“… is not your mother’s Greek tragedy.” – Sophie Gilbert
Washington City Paper
May 18, 2012
“And Steven Scott Mazzola’s staging for WSC Avant Bard surrounds them with startling images at Artisphere: a chorus cavorting as the floor beneath them lights up with twinkling stars; severed limbs coalescing into the huge golden visage of a god. Throbbingly catchy music by Mariano Vales helps the director turn this Bacchae into tragedy of an oddly vibrant, antic sort–almost an ancient Greek Godspell–so brimming with song and so powered by Aysha Upchurch’s floor-pounding choreography that for much of its length it seems disinterested in the horrors of its plot.” – Bob Mondello
MetroWeekly
May 31, 2012
“Carried by the original music of Mariano Vales, whose rustic acousticals and simple but effective drumming are sometimes wistful sometimes sensually vibrant, this is an intimate production, a place for language and emotion versus spectacle. And without doubt, thanks in large part to director Steven Scott Mazzola’s earthy approach, you will detect the echoes of 1970s experimental theater — earnest, thoughtful, and ever-so-occasionally amusing.” – Kate Wingfield