Antigone

Synopsis

Two brothers, Polyneikes and Eteocles, fight for the crown of Thebes. They kill each other. The rule is strict and clear: whoever dares to bury Polyneikes will be punished with death. Antigone cannot accept the laws that leave one of her brothers unburied and humiliated. State against Ideals, a young woman against a monarch, the whole town, us, inside the arena. How do you get a diamond out of a stone? 'I was born to love, not hate', states Antigone. And there is always a cost for it.

Our Review:

Simon Tavener - 23 March 2010

In over fifty years of theatrical activity, Oxford Theatre Guild has garnered a reputation for being one of the strongest amateur companies in the country. They certainly have never lacked ambition – and in choosing to perform the Anouilh version of Sophocles’ tragic masterpiece, they are living up to that reputation.

Director Janet Bolam’s choice of translation (by Lewis Galantiere) is an interesting one. It treads the fine line between the artificial and naturalistic very well. It makes good use of relatively modern idioms whilst never forgetting the poetic roots of the text.

Less successful, perhaps, is her decision to pervade the production with the presence of surveillance cameras and recorded footage. This device is fast becoming a modern cliché - particularly following the recent Doran/Tennant Hamlet in Stratford and more recently on the BBC. The use of video is not overwhelming but often serves to punctuate rather than enhance the drama.

Some of her casting decisio...

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