“Girls” by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins
Theater: Yale Repertory Theater
Director: Lileana Blain-Cruz
Girls, based on The Bacchae, one of Euripides’s greatest tragedies, was reinterpreted with a modern, political twist at the Yale Repertory Theater. Adapted by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins and directed by Lileana Blain-Cruz, this was a spectacle unlike anything I have seen before. Is that a positive? Yes and no. I appreciated the bold decisions and the execution of design by all the designers involved. However, this production deviated from the mantra “less is more,” and it suffered for it. Too many concepts were yearning for attention, causing there to be too much happening at once. For those familiar with the original tale, there were a lot of recognizable characters and storyline similarities. If unfamiliar with the original tale, Girls could have been easily misunderstood or perceived as an onstage hallucinogenic trip. Nonetheless, this show potentially encouraged discussions of societal messages brought up in the adaption.
Euripides’s The Bacchae, considered one of his greatest tragedies, is about Dionysus, son of Zeus, punishing King Pentheus and his mother Agave for not worshipping him. Director Lileana Blain-Cruz explained that, “Dionysus is the god of wine, ecstasy, possession, performance and theater. Consuming wine was a way of becoming one with god.” In Girls, Dionysus was contemporized as Deon (played by a sassy Nicholas L. Ashe), King Pentheus was named Theo (Leo Seefried, playing an easily angered, White supremacist), and Agave was Gaga (Jeanine Serralles, who exuded much zest and energy). Deon seeks the same desires as Dionysus, to make his powers and influence known. Deon, as the “killer” DJ, throws a raving dance party in the woods and entices many local women, “girls,” to become entranced by the music. One of them is Theo’s mom. The wanderers are unable to understand why they can’t stop dancing. The woods serve as the location for the on-going club, or “clurb” as referred to in this play. Theo, livestreaming from his bedroom to his thousands of social media followers, proclaims his plans to restore order in the woods and rescue his mom from there.
Montana Levi Blanco’s costume design was one of the highlights of this show. Every “girl” who entered the forest performed a monologue, offering a backstory and explaining how each one ended up in the woods. Blanco did a fabulous job capturing each character’s personality and status through clothing. In addition to the people in the woods, Blanco also dressed Theo accurately with a red bandana around his head, a hunter’s vest and cargo pants. 
Adam Rigg’s set was marvelous. The raked stage allowed the audience to fully take in the detail and thought. The moss-filled woodsy ground, realistic rocks and branch-filled trees all contributed to a wonderful, living forest. The furthest end of the stage away from the audience consisted of a glass wall that peeked into Theo’s bedroom, where he was livestreaming. When Theo’s room wasn’t being utilized, the window was repurposed as a mirror, creatively making the forest seem even larger.
My favorite aspect of this performance was its incorporation of technology. When Theo was livestreaming from his bedroom, his video was playing live as a projection above his room. David Bengali did a great job as projection designer, producing a clear and crisp image of the livestream video. The close-up view gave every audience member, regardless of where they were sitting, a great view of Theo’s expressions, making it feel as if an authentic video was actually being livestreamed from the internet. Nothing says a take on modern times like a hyper-technical set.
My favorite aspect of this performance was its incorporation of technology. When Theo was livestreaming from his bedroom, his video was playing live as a projection above his room. David Bengali did a great job as projection designer, producing a clear and crisp image of the livestream video. The close-up view gave every audience member, regardless of where they were sitting, a great view of Theo’s expressions, making it feel as if an authentic video was actually being livestreamed from the internet. Nothing says a take on modern times like a hyper-technical set.
The light design by Yi Zhao was always spot on. Zhao’s lighting allowed the show to feel like a wild rave with strobe lights and deep colors when appropriate, but was also able to tone it down for more natural lighting when needed. Zhao played around with many colors and variations without it ever feeling distracting. Sound Designer Palmer Hefferan created very modern club music for this production. He remixed up-to-date phrases into the tracks, signaling contemporary times. I loved all of the design elements along with the outstanding and timely choreography by Raja Feather Kelly.
I was intrigued with how the technological elements were so reflective of today’s society. Theo (King Pentheus in the original tragedy) is obsessed with the idea of having a following on social media and spreading his views and influence. Today, we also see how one’s social media following and influence is held to a high status, much like that of a king or even a President. We also see in today’s world how important figures wield power by sharing their views and opinions with followers, whether favorable or not.
I appreciated Blain-Cruz’s direction, making it known that humans are complex creatures, and that there’s more than just good versus bad. This production was a real extravaganza, featuring vibrant colors and choreography that matched the trance-like, electronic music. Though the plot ran the risk of perplexity, it certainly matched the bizarreness of the production.
For a better idea of what the show looked like, these videos give an accurate glimpse of what was presented:
Photo credit: Joan Marcus
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