Brigham Young University canceled a performance on Monday of Euripides’ classic tragedy The Bacchae, which a troupe from the University of Utah had been scheduled to perform, in a modern, rock-opera interpretation, on the BYU campus. According to the Deseret News, BYU, which is owned by the Mormon Church, took a dim view of the play, called The Bakkhai in this production, particularly its staging with “wine, sex, and rock and roll.” Disappointed theatergoers, who received ticket refunds, will still be able to see the drama, but in an off-campus venue. In a news release quoted by The Daily Universe, BYU’s student newspaper, the university said, “the approach of this production could be problematic for members of our audience.”
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3 Responses to BYU Pans — and Bans — Rock-Opera Staging of Euripides Tragedy
crispinus - September 23, 2009 at 4:18 pm
Oh, and please remember the apostrophe-s after the author’s name in your headline: “Euripides’” (or “Euripides’s”).
lslerner - September 23, 2009 at 5:18 pm
Nothing New at BYU!
speterfreund - September 23, 2009 at 6:01 pm
Does it strike anyone else as a trifle hypocritical that the Marriott hotel chain, founded by a pillar of the LDS Church, does not come in for church sanctions for serving alcohol to guests, some of whom have out-of-wedlock sex, and many of whom listen to rock and roll, often in hotel venues, but that an updated version of a classic Greek tragedy does when plans are laid to present the play on the BYU campus?Turn a blind eye; extend the collection plate.