Review: Antigone

Jean Anouilh’s Antigone is a challenging piece of theatre. How does one do something new with a play that has been kicking around, in one form or another, for two and a half thousand years? Perhaps it was precisely the age of the piece that made Peter Swallow’s new production seem lethargic. 

The acting, which was of a generally high standard, did suffer from being too highly focused on the dialogue whilst neglecting the more physical aspects of performance. The play begins with a tableau vivant which was unfortunately indicative of the lack of physical energy that characterised the production. Actors’ arms hung by their sides, their feet seemed glued to the floor and a general stasis permeated too many scenes.

A wonderful exception to this was Andrew Illsley’s brilliant turn as the guard Jonas. A funny, absorbing and fluid performance, it marked the definite highlight of the play. Of particular note was a hilariously insensitive scene where Jonas discusses his pay package in front of a sullen Antigone whilst she awaits her death. This contrast between the high idealist and the low philistine sizzled and shone beside the heavier, sloppier scenes of purely high drama.

Simon Lamb was also good as the crisp and threatening Creon, like Christopher Lee without the fangs. But a wider expression of feeling would have been welcome from this complex character. And Adryon Kozel’s Antigone, although vocally shot through with feeling, failed to reach the visceral heights that she could have done. Consequently their scenes together seemed to stretch far beyond their remit.

Also, Swallow’s deliberately minimalistic style seemed to frustratingly betray one of the play’s central aspects. The point of Anouilh’s specific version of Antigone, as opposed to Sophocles’ version, was to make a political statement about the Vichy collaboration with the Nazi regime during their occupation of Paris in the early 1940’s. This production of the play does not just drop all the vestiges of this original political context, but it also refuses to replace it with anything that might resemble a more contemporary political context. This is a shame; it seems too strong a departure from Anouilh’s authentic and politically committed vision.

However, despite ditching the politics, the production did retain the moral conscience at the centre of the play, and for this alone it is worth seeing. The struggle between our public and personal duties, the unshakeable feeling that no matter what path we take it will neither be the right or the wrong path, is still evident in this production which is a credit to the sincerity of the acting and direction. Stylistic disagreements aside, the production does insist on taking its subject matter seriously.

But don’t just take Rory’s word for it! See Antigone for yourself at 7pm tonight for just £5.