Power Play At SIFA 2019

AGAINST THE BREATHTAKING BACKDROP of the Prambanan temples in Jogjakarta, legendary theatre guru Tadashi Suzuki recently directed a group of actors from Indonesia, Japan and China performing the ancient story of Greek god Dionysus and his battle with King Pentheus of Thebes.

The 2,400-year-old play has all the ingredients of a blockbuster - power struggle, jealousy, hatred, revenge, madness and the murder of a king by a mob of women, which includes his own mother.

But the Japanese director has distilled much of the hysterics into a stately, stylised production that, in its own way, simmers with emotion. The actors intone their lines as if every word carries its own weight and effect. Their actions are slow, formal and dignified. Even the killing of Pentheus by a frenzied mob is carried out elegantly, almost sumptuously. The ornate costumes include heavy layered robes with long trains dragged dramatically across the stage.