Antigoing… going… gone.
Chris Jefferies is left frustrated after Bailey Theatre Company‘s new version of Sophocle’s Antigone…
innovative tragedy | artistic vision | aimed high, fell short
Innovative Tragedy
When I entered St. John’s Chapel on a cold December evening, my hopes were very high for Bailey Theatre Company’s production of Antigone. The intimate, religious setting and the unorthodox choice of traverse staging promised an innovative take on Sophocles’ classical tragedy, but unfortunately the show was not without its disappointments. With minimalist staging, white t-shirt based costumes and a new modern translation, this was always going to be an edgy interpretation. Indeed, the production was packed with fresh ideas, but at times missed some of the key requirements needed to hold things together.
Edward Harris‘ translation stayed loyal to the original ideas of the text, and lent itself to a minimalist interpretation with remarkable flexibility. However, this flexibility of the script translated into a general lack of grandeur in the performances of the cast. As a classical heroine with sorrow and rage in her veins, Tasmin Comrie was faced with a major challenge as the title role, and in many ways she failed to deliver. At times drawn into slurred lines by the modernity of the translation, Comrie’s enunciation and delivery was distinctly unrefined. The opening scene with Sorrel Wood playing her sister Ismene was stinted and frustrating, and the slackness of Wood’s performance was shown further in a later scene as Teiresias’s Boy, when she slouched with her hands in her pockets. Whilst modern costumes may lend themselves to this sort of onstage behaviour, the text simply does not. Equally disappointing was Ed McCarter‘s depiction of King Creon – McCarter never exuded the menace that this tyrant needs to have to inject into the play with spite and malice. His performance was neither threatening nor authoritative, resulting in a clear lack of tension between him and Comrie. McCarter’s vocal projection was consistently understated, and left me constantly waiting for a peak in his performance, which, sadly, never arrived.
Artistic Vision
Interposing and often intervening in the main action was the traditional Athenian Chorus, who provided valuable poetic reflection. This was a clear highlight of the show, and exemplified the artistic vision of director Andrew Goy. The symbolic movement of the Chorus brought wonderful balance and structure to the play, and it was clear that Goy understood the challenges of his alternative staging choice. When the audience are seated on both sides, it is crucial to provide a sense of symmetry, and this was achieved wonderfully, right through to the curtain call. Amongst the Chorus, Ben Corp gave an outstanding performance with strong projection and bold stage presence, which should lead him on to much larger roles in future productions.
Another major positive was the performance of Kieran Sims, who to a large extent held the main characters’ scenes together. Showing great adaptability, Sims took on the four remaining male roles, each with distinct characterisation, without ever verging on stereotypes. The jittery cowardice of the Messenger provided valuable comic relief, in the vein of Michael Crawford, whilst his portrayal of the blind soothsayer Teiresias was masterful – profound and furious, whilst brittle and clearly aged. Finally the sensitivity of Haemon provided an emotional counterpoint to McCarter’s Creon in a wonderfully tender scene between father and son, as the latter’s lover is condemned to death by the former.
Aimed High, Fell Short
The themes and concerns of this powerful play were tackled with great ambition and verve, yet the foundation of the show was undeniably weak, and this was a great shame. A perfect example of this was Antigone‘s entombment scene, lit solely by the Chorus, holding torches. This illuminated Comrie in four eerie, isolated silhouettes, but the decision to have her whisper the entire speech was incredibly frustrating. Without adequate projection or clarity, this scene collapsed on itself and was largely unintelligible. Similarly with the Chorus scene delivered in complete darkness: the audience was presented with a bold idea as the various noises climaxed, but this was mismanaged and descended into sonic chaos far too quickly, resulting in a messy cacophony. This was typical of a production which promised much and aimed high, but fell short on several crucial levels.
Nonetheless, there was much to be admired, and several key aspects of the tragedy had clearly been highlighted and worked on intensively. Particularly impressive was the general handling of stichomythia, which was snappy and consistently effective throughout. Bailey Theatre Company’s production of Antigone was not a failure by any means, indeed this is what made it so frustrating – it came close to being a great success, but there simply was not enough coherence to support these exciting ideas.
Score! 1-1 Boalch! hehe
Score! 1-1 Boalch! hehe
Score! 1-1 Boalch! hehe
It’s not a competition, you twit.
It’s not a competition, you twit.
It’s not a competition, you twit.
Should probably expand on that throwaway comment a little bit…
Kieran, I think you need to realise that just because a reviewer dislikes you in one particular role, it doesn’t mean that he/she thinks you can’t act.
Or even if it does, a review is just one person’s subjective opinion, so why does it matter?
I didn’t see Antigone so I can’t comment on your performance, but going by Chris’s review you deserve congratulations for it: so well done. Here’s to lots more good performances in the future.
Should probably expand on that throwaway comment a little bit…
Kieran, I think you need to realise that just because a reviewer dislikes you in one particular role, it doesn’t mean that he/she thinks you can’t act.
Or even if it does, a review is just one person’s subjective opinion, so why does it matter?
I didn’t see Antigone so I can’t comment on your performance, but going by Chris’s review you deserve congratulations for it: so well done. Here’s to lots more good performances in the future.
Should probably expand on that throwaway comment a little bit…
Kieran, I think you need to realise that just because a reviewer dislikes you in one particular role, it doesn’t mean that he/she thinks you can’t act.
Or even if it does, a review is just one person’s subjective opinion, so why does it matter?
I didn’t see Antigone so I can’t comment on your performance, but going by Chris’s review you deserve congratulations for it: so well done. Here’s to lots more good performances in the future.
i WAS only joking Nick, im really not that bitter :) does anyone have any opinions about the play? (merry christmas everyone)
i WAS only joking Nick, im really not that bitter :) does anyone have any opinions about the play? (merry christmas everyone)
i WAS only joking Nick, im really not that bitter :) does anyone have any opinions about the play? (merry christmas everyone)
You really ought to have seen the Improv group’s production in Newcastle tonight. Anouilh’s version granted, but containing both clarity and passion.
Still, well done to all on the Bailey and a good review too.
You really ought to have seen the Improv group’s production in Newcastle tonight. Anouilh’s version granted, but containing both clarity and passion.
Still, well done to all on the Bailey and a good review too.
You really ought to have seen the Improv group’s production in Newcastle tonight. Anouilh’s version granted, but containing both clarity and passion.
Still, well done to all on the Bailey and a good review too.
This review seems fair enough, but in Tamsin and Ed’s defence its quite a tall order to nail a character as complex as Antigone or Creon in two weeks. Although this is by no means an excuse it does perhaps illuminate why performances were at times perhaps a little one dimensional. I agree Tamsin’s diction does let her down but her ability to change tact and emotional response so quickly within a scene without it feeling pre-meditated is of great credit to her.
This review seems fair enough, but in Tamsin and Ed’s defence its quite a tall order to nail a character as complex as Antigone or Creon in two weeks. Although this is by no means an excuse it does perhaps illuminate why performances were at times perhaps a little one dimensional. I agree Tamsin’s diction does let her down but her ability to change tact and emotional response so quickly within a scene without it feeling pre-meditated is of great credit to her.
This review seems fair enough, but in Tamsin and Ed’s defence its quite a tall order to nail a character as complex as Antigone or Creon in two weeks. Although this is by no means an excuse it does perhaps illuminate why performances were at times perhaps a little one dimensional. I agree Tamsin’s diction does let her down but her ability to change tact and emotional response so quickly within a scene without it feeling pre-meditated is of great credit to her.
Also in response to the views on Creon: Yes at times Creon is threatening but I feel that the idea of malice within Creon is actually a misconception. The idea with Creon was to present more of an ‘everyman.’ A man who was eager to keep the status quo and reluctant to condemn Antigone. While questioning Antigone Creon gives her the opportunity to get herself off the hook and it is only through their equal stuborness that he condemns her. Although I agree that Ed’s performance needed to reach a peak I felt his weariness demonstrated a slightly more normal interpretation of Creon than the usual ‘tyrant.’
Also in response to the views on Creon: Yes at times Creon is threatening but I feel that the idea of malice within Creon is actually a misconception. The idea with Creon was to present more of an ‘everyman.’ A man who was eager to keep the status quo and reluctant to condemn Antigone. While questioning Antigone Creon gives her the opportunity to get herself off the hook and it is only through their equal stuborness that he condemns her. Although I agree that Ed’s performance needed to reach a peak I felt his weariness demonstrated a slightly more normal interpretation of Creon than the usual ‘tyrant.’
Also in response to the views on Creon: Yes at times Creon is threatening but I feel that the idea of malice within Creon is actually a misconception. The idea with Creon was to present more of an ‘everyman.’ A man who was eager to keep the status quo and reluctant to condemn Antigone. While questioning Antigone Creon gives her the opportunity to get herself off the hook and it is only through their equal stuborness that he condemns her. Although I agree that Ed’s performance needed to reach a peak I felt his weariness demonstrated a slightly more normal interpretation of Creon than the usual ‘tyrant.’
I agree with Andrew in that i think Antigone and Creon were not given enough credit in this review. Whilst not the strongest performers on the night, i think that perhaps the negatives of their performance (lack of diction or natural gesturing etc) were too widely reported and people failed to pick up on some of the subtlty in the performance. I thought it was brave and somewhat wonderful to have the emotion played down so that it was intense and realistic, rather than the grandiose display of ‘Alas’ and ‘Oh Zeus’ that many expect from Greek tragedy. For me, i thought they did very well (did they only do it in two weeks?!) and maybe the reviewer was unprepared for the nature of the performance. That said, i think the review is fair and that overall this was a lofty production which require a professional cast.
I agree with Andrew in that i think Antigone and Creon were not given enough credit in this review. Whilst not the strongest performers on the night, i think that perhaps the negatives of their performance (lack of diction or natural gesturing etc) were too widely reported and people failed to pick up on some of the subtlty in the performance. I thought it was brave and somewhat wonderful to have the emotion played down so that it was intense and realistic, rather than the grandiose display of ‘Alas’ and ‘Oh Zeus’ that many expect from Greek tragedy. For me, i thought they did very well (did they only do it in two weeks?!) and maybe the reviewer was unprepared for the nature of the performance. That said, i think the review is fair and that overall this was a lofty production which require a professional cast.
I agree with Andrew in that i think Antigone and Creon were not given enough credit in this review. Whilst not the strongest performers on the night, i think that perhaps the negatives of their performance (lack of diction or natural gesturing etc) were too widely reported and people failed to pick up on some of the subtlty in the performance. I thought it was brave and somewhat wonderful to have the emotion played down so that it was intense and realistic, rather than the grandiose display of ‘Alas’ and ‘Oh Zeus’ that many expect from Greek tragedy. For me, i thought they did very well (did they only do it in two weeks?!) and maybe the reviewer was unprepared for the nature of the performance. That said, i think the review is fair and that overall this was a lofty production which require a professional cast.
Okay, two weeks IS a very breif amount of time to take on such incredibly complex characters, but I can only judge the end result. Maybe it was a bad idea to do the play in such a short time span.
I completely disagree that Creon could be played as an everyman. His heartlessness and unbending deontology is sickening, especially when he is unmoved by Haemon’s pleas for pity. I really wanted Ed to be more hate-able.
Okay, two weeks IS a very breif amount of time to take on such incredibly complex characters, but I can only judge the end result. Maybe it was a bad idea to do the play in such a short time span.
I completely disagree that Creon could be played as an everyman. His heartlessness and unbending deontology is sickening, especially when he is unmoved by Haemon’s pleas for pity. I really wanted Ed to be more hate-able.
Okay, two weeks IS a very breif amount of time to take on such incredibly complex characters, but I can only judge the end result. Maybe it was a bad idea to do the play in such a short time span.
I completely disagree that Creon could be played as an everyman. His heartlessness and unbending deontology is sickening, especially when he is unmoved by Haemon’s pleas for pity. I really wanted Ed to be more hate-able.
Lots of companies put on productions in two
weeks successfully- including, i’m sure,
countless productions of Antigone. Depends
how much you want to give up for a show I
guess. Its not something to fluff about though. I
am of the opinion that nobody should use the
time they had as an excuse for a good or a bad
show- take pride in your work people!
Lots of companies put on productions in two
weeks successfully- including, i’m sure,
countless productions of Antigone. Depends
how much you want to give up for a show I
guess. Its not something to fluff about though. I
am of the opinion that nobody should use the
time they had as an excuse for a good or a bad
show- take pride in your work people!
Lots of companies put on productions in two
weeks successfully- including, i’m sure,
countless productions of Antigone. Depends
how much you want to give up for a show I
guess. Its not something to fluff about though. I
am of the opinion that nobody should use the
time they had as an excuse for a good or a bad
show- take pride in your work people!
I would just like to clarify that ’2 weeks’ was not an excuse: I’m very proud of the production, and Chris as a reviewer you are completely in the right to judge the end product and as I’ve already said I think its a fair review. I have to say though that I disagree with your views on Creon. The tragedy of the final scene is heightened if Creon is actually a believable character that the audience can in some way relate to. Tragedy is surely more moving when its about mistakes rather than ‘evil.’ The tragedy in Antigone is not about a young girl being victim to a spiteful hateful man: what is so thought provoking about that? The tragedy is about the result of two people with very strongly held convictions stubbornly refusing to back down. Creon’s changing of the death penalty from stoning, a very violent death, to entombment – a bloodless death, is a sign that he is not the spiteful, hateful character he is so often portrayed as. His arguement is sound: she broke the law and must pay and Haemon is wrong to question this. However the question is: was Creon’s order a law? This is what Antigone takes issue with and is the driving arguement of the play.
I would just like to clarify that ’2 weeks’ was not an excuse: I’m very proud of the production, and Chris as a reviewer you are completely in the right to judge the end product and as I’ve already said I think its a fair review. I have to say though that I disagree with your views on Creon. The tragedy of the final scene is heightened if Creon is actually a believable character that the audience can in some way relate to. Tragedy is surely more moving when its about mistakes rather than ‘evil.’ The tragedy in Antigone is not about a young girl being victim to a spiteful hateful man: what is so thought provoking about that? The tragedy is about the result of two people with very strongly held convictions stubbornly refusing to back down. Creon’s changing of the death penalty from stoning, a very violent death, to entombment – a bloodless death, is a sign that he is not the spiteful, hateful character he is so often portrayed as. His arguement is sound: she broke the law and must pay and Haemon is wrong to question this. However the question is: was Creon’s order a law? This is what Antigone takes issue with and is the driving arguement of the play.
I would just like to clarify that ’2 weeks’ was not an excuse: I’m very proud of the production, and Chris as a reviewer you are completely in the right to judge the end product and as I’ve already said I think its a fair review. I have to say though that I disagree with your views on Creon. The tragedy of the final scene is heightened if Creon is actually a believable character that the audience can in some way relate to. Tragedy is surely more moving when its about mistakes rather than ‘evil.’ The tragedy in Antigone is not about a young girl being victim to a spiteful hateful man: what is so thought provoking about that? The tragedy is about the result of two people with very strongly held convictions stubbornly refusing to back down. Creon’s changing of the death penalty from stoning, a very violent death, to entombment – a bloodless death, is a sign that he is not the spiteful, hateful character he is so often portrayed as. His arguement is sound: she broke the law and must pay and Haemon is wrong to question this. However the question is: was Creon’s order a law? This is what Antigone takes issue with and is the driving arguement of the play.
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