I've been to see Bacchae in Bristol, in a production by the Kneehigh Company. My friend, who didn't know the play, was confused about what was happening, and I can understand why. But she politely insists that she enjoyed the performance.

The production mostly follows Euripides scene by scene, but I recognised few lines. The first few minutes set up the situation of wild rock 'n' roll revelling off-stage, watched, with varied reactions, by chorus and characters. Soon comes a schoolroom lesson, complete with blackboard, on the family tree of Cadmus, Semele, Dionysus and so on.

Cadmus is in a wheelchair, but, like the character in Little Britain, gets out of it when he wants. Pentheus has a secretary called Pamela, who takes the part of the first Messenger. The second messenger speech is not needed, because the slaughter on the mountain takes place on stage.

There! I've told you the worst - that is, if you are looking to a faithful performance of Euripides' script. Once you shake off the feeling that it should all be something else, you can settle down and enjoy what the company offers - broad humour, a well-conceived set, with all sorts of props coming down from above - table and chairs, tutus for the (male) chorus, ladders (don't ask). In fact Pamela is one of the best-acted parts, even though I almost expected her to say confidentially to the audience from time to time, like the woodchuck in Disney's version of Winnie the Pooh, "Of course, I'm not in the book!"

And yes, after all the burlesque, the horror of the final scene is telling, and not dissipated as in echt-Euripides by those curious dooms pronounced on the various characters.

See a full review from the Online Review London here.

If you feel like taking a class to this production, do warn them that what they are going to see may get the spirit and general outline of the Greek play, it's still worth studying Euripides for all the details and subtleties that this production does not attempt to give us.