Tony Amendola and Ann Noble (Photo by Craig Schwartz Photography)
Reviewed by Martίn Hernández
Antaeus Theatre Company
Through June 15
RECOMMENDED
Ann Noble, Peter Mendoza, John Apicella and Kaci Hamilton (Photo by Craig Schwartz Photography)
Playwright Kevin Cavender sets his newly translated adaptation of Sophokles’ 2,500 year old critique of political tyranny in modern times, having it serve as a commentary on America’s decades-old despotic policies, both at home and abroad. Despite a puzzling Orientalist bent at times, this update of the Greek tragedy remains a pungent critique on governmental repression and the hubris it fosters; woe to those who fail to heed its message.
One among Sophokles’ Theban Plays, Antigone was written before Oedipus Rex and Oedipus at Colonus, though the action takes place after the events of both. Oedipus’s rival sons, Eteocles and Polynices, have just settled a brutal civil war in Thebes by one-on-one combat, killing each other in the process. Rising to take charge and heal the combat-ravaged city is Kreon (Tony Amendola), the brother of Oedipus’s wife – and mother – Jocasta. Kreon declares full religious and military honors for Eteocles’ burial, but Polynices, whom he considers a traitor. is to be left in the street. His body is to rot — a message to anyone who challenges the new regime and its ruler. Anyone trying to bury Polynices will be put to death.
Antigone (Linda Park), Oedipus’s formidable older daughter and sister to the deceased warriors, feels Kreon’s edict is an affront to the gods and to human dignity. Disregarding his order, she tries to enlist her loyal sister Ismene (Mildred Marie Langford) to bury their brother, but the her younger and more fragile sibling refuses. Further muddying Antigone’s mission is her devotion and engagement to Haimon (Peter Mendoza), son of Kreon and his spouse Eurydike (Ann Noble), who holds mutual ardor for Antigone. The ensuing conflict between Antigone and Kreon could drag the city back into an abyss of war and take the ruling family down with it.
The symbolism invoked by Cavender and director Andy Wolk focuses on the menacing nature of American authoritarianism but also shines a spotlight on the Middle East. A patch of dried yellow paint on one wall of Sibyl Ann Wickersheimer’s multi-locale set resembles a map of the USA. Courtesy of Angela Balogh Calin’s costume design, the stylish pantsuits worn by Ann Noble’s Eurydike reminds one of neoliberal female powerbrokers like Hillary Clinton, Nancy Pelosi, and Condoleezza Rice – American autocracy is gender neutral and bipartisan, after all. Sentry 1 (John Apicella) and Sentry 2 (Kaci Hamilton) also sport camouflage uniforms worn by U.S. military personnel while doing Kreon’s nefarious bidding. Otherwise the set, Lawrence Shragge’s potent musical score, and other dramatic choices project Middle Eastern aesthetics.
Throughout, the characters engage in heated arguments, and while the actors are heavy on histrionics, they also deliver well-rounded performances under Wolk’s direction. Noble’s Eurydike is convincing as the more thoughtful half of a power couple, working as she does to negotiate the concerns of her husband, son, niece, and Thebes with a focus on how best to extricate them all from potential doom. Amendola offers a nuanced Kreon, whose hardline approach blinds him to the will of a populace he sincerely wants to protect. Park ably balances self-confidence and doubt as a stubborn yet sympathetic Antigone going toe to toe with the prideful and powerful Kreon. Park is also compelling as a conflicted lover, whose honorable actions put the love between Antigone and Mendoza’s benevolent Haimon in jeopardy.
Antaeus Theatre Company, 110 East Broadway, Glendale; See website for schedule; thru June 15. www.tickets@antaeus.org Running time 90 minutes.
