**** (4 stars)
“Inspiring!”
This didn’t start well for me – not only my second ‘made it by the skin of my teeth’ show of the day, but the opening number – very well delivered by, apparently, the Oracle – was setting the whole scene of the whole piece but delivered in rapid-fire American of which I could only grasp a part [and that only because I had a good idea of the plot of the original Greek drama…]
I’m happy to say things got quite a lot better.
It’s quite possible that the opening number also explained that, in addition to two brothers [Nick and Eli] dying and Calvin becoming the new Governor, deviance was going to be suppressed. This facet of the narrative didn’t become clear until the Governor’s son Henry emerged – obviously not conforming to the pattern expected by his father, and then in flashback revealing his love for Nick. [cue a beautiful love duet for two gorgeous voices]
Antigone [Tig], the dead boys’ sister defies the order – she’s obviously very caring and strongly pro-justice: Henry agrees with her but hasn’t her confidence, while her sister Issa thinks she can fight the injustice by recourse to the Theban legal code. Governor Calvin thinks differently – the code is replaced with one single law – there will be peace, and anyone breaking the peace will be put to death.
There is much excellently choreographed scene-shifting, with clever use of two moveable sets of steps and a number of wooden cubes, which could be arranged in any number of combinations. The score has a number of good melodies, though the opening number would have benefited from supertitles [or a slightly slower pace and crystal-clear diction] for those of us whose ears aren’t attuned to American accents and turns of phrase. The mostly young audience was very appreciative of the jargon and slang used, and certainly in agreement with the final message, where all the voices start singing in rich harmony and end in unison, urging that one voice speaking out against injustice be heard.
If only.
Especially in the US these days…
There was a lot of good in this show, but Antigone it really wasn’t: rather it was ‘a musical loosely based on the original Greek tragedy with a rainbow twist’ and a great deal of poetic licence, especially with regard to Antigone’s fate – we hear two pistol shots, assume she’s been killed, but then she reappears on stage…?
The young cast were all superb singers, and really sold the story well, passionately believing what they were singing [or being extremely good actors…!] What came over very clearly were the obvious parallels with the current political situation in America, the complete ignoring of the rule books and the total suppression of any attempt at opposition.
The young audience obviously thought this show was utterly brilliant – I hope it inspires them to take up the fight against injustice and the pressures to conform to societal values.
Antigone 1989: A Town Hall Musical, The Fringe, Gilded Balloon Patter House Venue 24, Run Ends 29th August for more information go to: Antigone 1989: A Town Hall Musical | Edinburgh Festival Fringe
ScotsGay Arts 