An alternative explanation for the lack of information about these gods and groups of gods [such as the Kabeiroi] is that nobody knew very much about them. For the Greeks who paid them cult worship, the gods had a real existence, but they were also invisible and did not usually communicate directly with mortals. Greek communities did not choose their gods on the basis of what they read in poems, but found gods in the places they inhabited. They might sometimes guess what some of those gods might be called, and how they should be worshipped. But there were also gods who could not be identified and about whom therefore stories could not be told. These are effectively gods without myths.
Mystery Cults in the Ancient World by Hugh Bowden [emphasis mine]
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A mystic scene. The deity Kabeiros, worshiped (normally as part of a group, the Kabeiroi) on the Aegean island of Samothrace, is shown identified with Dionysos in his chthonic aspect. He reclines as at a symposium; in his left hand is an egg, suggesting rebirth, while his right hand holds a kantharos (two-handled drinking cup), from which a snake drinks. The snake itself is a common chthonic symbol: its ability to shed its skin was often understood as symbolic of the "death" and rebirth of initiates into mystery cults. Side A of a red-figure krater by the Mystai Painter, late 5th century BCE. From Boeotia; now in the National Archaeological Museum, Athens. Photo credit: Zde/Wikimedia Commons.
Kaberonian eye structures as seen from above. Your 'standard' eye and the eye structure of a botah with a third eyelid. Which is the other version of Kab eyes.
Yeah,Ā they're fun. But can they make you feel something?
Thereās not much I can add, I think the likes of @drinkthehalo have already said most of what there is to say, and I agree wholeheartedly. But I have put a few points below.
1. I love being lost in another time, another place - I want a complete escape from the real world, not just to augment it.
2. I have been so moved by the stories of the characters in Punchdrunkās shows - Iām never going to be moved when itās me in the centre of it.
3. I adore getting lost in another world, in another personās story. I love the childlike feeling that suspending my disbelief like that gives me, but Iām too old to play pretend games.
4. Great art is meaningful, it makes you feel something, games are fun but Iāve never had a game affect me in the way that art can.
5. Potentially one of the reasons games canāt move me in this way is because games are competitive - if youāre focussed on levelling up it takes you out of the story* - Iām sure we all know how annoying it is when it feels like thereās a competition for a 1:1 (in my opinion one of the worst parts of a show), will the whole show feel like this?
6. Games have objectives - I donāt want to be told to do something to level-up, I want to be selfish and do whatever I want. I want agency, and isnāt that what Felix also wanted for us once upon a time?
*Iām probably missing the point on this one, Iām not sure how important the story is to Punchdrunk any more.
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Itās my fourth Drowned Manniversary. The memories have faded badly; while the music can still trigger recollections of... something... I no longer feel as strongly the immensity of emotion that I experienced. I remember that I felt, but I barely remember what I felt. This is natural, and unsurprising. My experiences in New York and (especially) Shanghai have helped to deliver an extra hit of the Temple Studios magic, but I canāt kid myself that SNM - despite its many qualities - can match the huge, overwhelming world of the studios and their denizens.
And Iāve been one of the lucky ones, able to enjoy PD productions - McKittrick, McKinnon, ACO, a bit of Silverpoint - since the curtain closed on the studios. Some people have been left starving for over three years. When PD announced that a new show was opening in London - well. the audience response spoke for itself. A heavily oversubscribed ballot, badly managed, led to an outpouring of emotion which can only be triggered by something which is filling a huge hole in peopleās desires.
As the production is still ongoing, I donāt wish to say more about Kabeiroi at this moment. But I will say that it was not what I was expecting, and it did not satisfy the hunger that has gnawed away at me since I last threw the rose. However, it did prompt further questions in my mind as to where Punchdrunk is going, and what we can expect from it in future.
Felix has openly said that the last thing he wants is for his audience to feel comfortable - āwhen they start to learn the rules, you change the rules.ā And Kabeiroi certainly changes the rules. Yet even during the experience (not to mention afterwards) I did wonder how many of the rules had been changed for the sake of it. Iād better not say any more for fear of manipulating peopleās expectations - but a conversation I had earlier in the year came back to me strongly.
I was talking with one of the cast a little while ago, and I complained to them that I thought PDās take on TDM - that it was too big - was misguided. What could be better, I argued, than a huge fantasy world you could just get lost in? They responded that they agreed, but that the company felt it was too easy for newcomers to lose the main narrative (and some reviews support this). They said that the repeat visitors - the fans and superfans, define them how you will - were not where the companyās focus was. PD, it seems, is primarily interested in delivering a one-offĀ āwowā moment to the first-time visitor.
Now, we all remember our first show, and thereās no doubt that thatĀ āwowā moment is delivered handsomely. But we also know the value in repeat visits: the way a narrative can broaden and deepen as we get to know it; the way we can become so hopelessly bound up in a character that he or she becomes almost part of our real life; the way a thorough examination of the set can reveal hidden details which expose extra layers of story.
I donāt mind that they want to get rid of the masks. I donāt mind that they want to explore new ways of story telling. I donāt mind that they want to keep us guessing so that even the old hands get thatĀ āwowā moment. But I do mind if this means sacrificing the three things they have done so exceptionally: world-building, richness of character and production design. Thereās no need to reinvent the wheel if the wheel isnāt broken.
And, at the risk of sounding childish, they need to remember how huge and enthusiastic their base is. Iāve read and heard plenty of people starting to question the value of their keyholder subscription in the light of the ballot fiasco. Launching a new product in the hope of expanding your market, while pissing off your existing customer base, is a strategy which has ruined many a company over time. I hope that PD will learn their lessons and maintain a healthy balance of the old and new in years to come. Otherwise weāre going to have to accept that the dream really has died.
"Punchdrunk artistic director Felix Barrettās first one-on-one show, made while he was studying at Exeter University, culminated in the audience member being pushed into a swimming pool. That feels like a neat metaphor for how he sees immersive theatre ā literally, well, immersive. But at its worst, it also means relying on shock tactics, on non-consensual contact, on prioritising adrenaline over emotional weight."
It's like the things many of us love in Punchdrunk - close up views of beautiful performances, depth of characters, losing ourselves in sensory worlds - are accidental side effects of the adrenaline effect Punchdrunk is actually going for. :(
The more I think about it, the more I am disappointed. Punchdrunk is going in a direction (and maybe always has been) that I'm not interested in following.
