Overview

For over a thousand years, one of literature's greatest tales has waited in silence. Now, a modern-day bard brings Beowulf to life. In this unique performance, Benjamin Bagby combines theater and music, performing the classic tale of King Hrothgar, the monster Grendel, and the hero Beowulf in the original Anglo-Saxon (with supertitles), while simultaneously providing the musical accompaniment on Anglo-Saxon harp. "Bagby comes as close to holding hundreds of people in a spell as ever a man has...That is much too rare an experience in theater" (The New York Times).

Related Events

Discussion
Fri, Oct 29, 12-1pm Zellerbach Playhouse
Free and open to the public
Benjamin Bagby and Dr. Stefan Morent discuss reconstruction and performance of medieval works in a conversation presented in association with the UC Berkeley Committee on Medieval Studies and Center for British Studies.

Program Notes

Program notes are available online. [PDF]

Multimedia

Reviews & Articles

The San Francisco Chronicle calls "Bagby's imaginative re-creation" of Beowulf "a double tour de force of scholarly excavation and artistic dynamism."
Read the review >>

The San Jose Mercury News says "Bagby mesmerized his Berkeley crowd...a surprise and a delight" Read the review >>

The SF Classical Voice talks with Benjamin Bagby about his upcoming performance of Beowulf. Read the preview >>