Chaos in Central Park

Dionysus isn’t the only thing troubling about ‘The Bacchae’

Don’t mess with Dionysus.

That’s what you’d glean from Euripides’ “The Bacchae” at the Delacorte Theater in Central Park.  For failing to give the god of wine his due, various Thebans suffer death, banishment and excruciating loss. Audience members don’t fare much better: While clocking in at a mere 90 minutes, the evening seems like an eternity.

In fairness to director JoAnne Akalaitis, “The Bacchae” is a tough nut to crack. It begins with Dionysus (Jonathan Groff) airing his gripes to the audience: His late mother’s sisters denied that Zeus had sired him, and his cousin Pentheus (Anthony Mackie), now king, likewise disavows his divinity. In retaliation, he has driven all the women of Thebes, including his aunts, into an orgiastic frenzy: They frantically wander the hills even as he speaks. And now he’s set his sights on Pentheus, who initially fights him but then, dressed as a woman, follows him to spy on the women’s revelry.  Can you relate?

Led by Groff, a studly young rock star in a leather jacket, and bolstered by thrilling harmonies from the female chorus to music by Philip Glass, “The Bacchae” starts out strong. But Groff’s initial swagger loses its allure as Dionysus’ plot for revenge plays out, and the Glass hymnal gets mired in repetition, as does the entire production. Mackie provides much-needed comic relief when he dons a dress, but the moment is fleeting and can’t shake off the torpor that otherwise prevails.

‘The Bacchae’
Through Aug. 30
Delacorte Theater
Central Park, enter at 79th Street on the east side and 81st Street on the west side
Free
www.publictheater.org