According to classical scholars, Aristophanes’ “The Birds” debuted over two millenia ago, in 414 BC, at a festival celebrating Dionysus. Dionysus, the Greek god of wine and theatre, was apparently underwhelmed, at least at the time, for the play only merited a second place honorable mention at the festival. However, history has proven kinder to the fantastical tale of two humans leaving behind the absurdities of society only to find equal absurdity among the birds and immortals that reign above. The play squawked its way into the classical canon, meriting countless productions, translations and adaptations.
To some, “The Birds” demands an allegorical interpretation with the birds standing in for contemporary Athenians, Pithetaerus’s grand enterprise as a critique on war, and even the bird city as a satirical take on utopian philosophy. To others the play represents an escapist fantasy, an excuse for colorful costumes, witty repartee, burlesque and buffoonery.
In a 2012 blog for Playscripts.com, playwright Don Zolidis highlighted this duality between the play’s frivolity and commentary. “A lot of my full-lengths are wild, silly fun – (and there is a place for wild silly fun!)... but in most of them I’m trying to make a comment on the modern world. I’m trying to say something about how we live, or how we cope, or what new insanity is being unleashed upon us....We need plays like that. Our kids need plays like that.”
Yes, we all very much need plays like that, particularly now.
Full disclosure: Back in March when I was pondering what kind of play could possibly work given the myriad pandemic restrictions and anxieties, I was most attracted to “The Birds’” lighter elements: its broad, shameless humor, the chance to laugh in the wake of tragedy, its large ensemble, and the opportunity to stage colorful costumes and puppets. However, as we unpacked the text, I began to better appreciate Zolidis’s clever modern allusions and Aristophanes’ pickled view of humanity. Whether the two are targeting humanity's seemingly innate selfishness, consumer culture, modern politics, or even teenage inanity, “The Birds” feels just as much of now as it is of then.
So whether you prefer social satire or poop jokes, a mocking indictment of the divine or silly covers of Queen songs, “The Birds” has you covered. As Aristophanes himself once wrote in “The Clouds,” "though times change...the vices of your age are stylish today.”
Welcome to the wacky, wonderful world of “The Birds”!
Rob Cross, Director
