As soon as Dennis of Penge at the Bridge House Theatre in Penge was announced, I was eager to see this play and had to get Bromley Buzz co-presenter Darren to come along; even more so, as a friend of ours (Trevor Davis, as Clovis) was acting in this show. Dennis of Penge is inspired by The Bacchae by Euripides: an ancient Greek tragedy that is an epic, mythical, heroic tale drawn on by Annie Siddons, and her real experiences and relationships from her childhood in South East London. A real sense of reality and raw poetry is brought to the stage with touching themes from identity, loneliness, poverty, addiction, survival, and joy with moments of humour within the midst of sadness and tragedy.
Wendy (Mariam Awad), is a depressed, lost soul, a recovering addict, an outcast, heartbroken and with no future, in her eyes, of being someone. She crosses paths with Dennis (Wayne C. McDonald), who plays the Greek God Dionysus, the god of transcendence and ecstasy, newly returned to Penge as the Chicken Shop Boss. Wendy’s oldest friend, he promises to change her life, and her existence, forever.
Wow, instantly from the first spoken words, we were captivated and drawn into the intensity of the play. A cast made up of twelve adult actors, two children, and three drummers each had immersed beautifully into their characters, carving out a real sense of reality. Each unique in bringing their character to life, hitting a cord with me and I am sure many in the audience. There were many memorable moments that captured me, but in particularly, the performance of Dennis, the sex God of ecstasy with his irresistible eyes, and the character Sylive, played by Polly Davis.
Darren said afterwards, “I love how ancient writing can be made meaningful today, not just in our times, but in a specific location, in this case, Penge and Bromley, with plenty of locally recognisable names popping up. One achievement of any performance is to have seriously stand-out, memorable moments, and one for me was when Dennis turned sex God to utterly ravish Mel (Amy Sewell), the wife of villain Neal (Marc Seri), in a most unlikely setting, and her consequent relished state of ecstasy, which held both great humour and (perhaps for all sexes in the audience) inspired jealousy as well! Several actors doubled up as Narrators as well as their own parts, and the counterpoint of commentary really worked alongside the unfolding plot. I could compliment cast member after cast member for their performances (shout outs to Lauren Buck as Alison, the lycra-clad posh girl of the Alcohol Anonymous group; Serena Joseph as Hortense, Wendy’s God-fearing adoptive mother; Tana Scarpa as Little Wendy and Zachary Hutton-Mills as Little Dennis). For a group that rehearsed online until meeting for the first time two weeks before, this was a remarkable achievement, and a credit to Director Sahar Awad. ”
This remade Bacchae really is something special, raw and uplifting and with a poetic storytelling that brings compassion to the heart of the community.
Zeenat Noorani, November 2023
Bromley Buzz 