David E. Frank and Dani Frank (Photo by Paul M. Rubenstein)
Reviewed by Lovell Estell III .
City Garage Theater
Through October 5
RECOMMENDED
Director Frederique Michel and City Garage’s newest venture is Neil LaBute’s modern adaptation of Jean Anouilh’s Antigone, adapted in turn from Sophocles’ Greek tragedy. Anouilh’s version, which he wrote it in response to the brutal Nazi occupation of France and rule of the collaborationist Vichy government, premiered in Paris in 1944. In those dark times, the play was interpreted as a call to courageous resistance, and even after 80-plus years, it speaks clearly to the present political environment. The plot structure is basically the same for all three versions of the play.
The action is set in an unspecified region of modern day America, where civil war has raged, and Antigone (Anabela Nguyen) has lost her brothers Polynices and Eteocles in the fight. King Creon (David E. Frank), decides that only Eteocles is worthy of a formal burial, while the body of Polynices, whom the king declared a traitor, is to be left to rot in the wild. Anyone defying this order will be put to death.
To Antigone this decree is cruel and immoral, and she defies the order and buries her brother, secure in her conviction that divine law is higher than any other, never mind that her disobedience will end her planned marriage to the king’s son, Haemon (Daniel Strausman). The confrontation between Antigone and Creon reveals the complex heart of the play, where the rule of law — the authority of the state — collides with individual conscience and morality. At one point Antigone rages at Creon, “If life must be a thing of fear, and lying and compromise; if life cannot be free and incorruptible….then I choose death.”
A lot of engaging dialogue takes place between Creon and Antigone. The “why” compelling each character’s motivation and principles is brought into sharp relief for the audience to weigh on the scales of right and wrong. Director Frederique Michel shows her proficiency for flashy staging, skillfully blending music, movement and dialogue. One addition that is particularly striking is the role of the chorus. Anthony Sannazzaro, designer of an assortment of attention-grabbing video projections, serves as a roving photographer, taking pictures throughout and delivering commentary. The set, lighting and audio design are well done by Charles Duncombe.
Cast performances, on balance are good, although Nguyen’s Antigone is sometimes too shrill and requires more polish and modulation.
City Garage Theatre, Bergamot Station, 2525 Michigan Ave., Building T1, Santa Monica. Fri.-Sat., 8 pm, Sun., 4 pm; thru October. 5. Running time: one hour and 45 minutes.
