Brisbane review - Sophocles’ Antigone: looking good for her age
- 2 days ago
- 2 min read
By Nahima Abraham
Sophocles’ Antigone
Presented by La Boite
Directed by Courtney Stewart & Nigel Poulton
La Boite Theatre
QUT Kelvin Grove
March 5 - 21
Run time: 70 mins without interval.
For a gal written into life around 400 BC, Antigone is sure : looking good for her age. Exploding on the Roundhouse stage at opening night, there was no other way to honour International Women’s Day happening March 8. Antigone is ultimately a story of protest, of thunderous mourning, of feminine rage. Maddison Burridge sizzled in the titular role; Billy Fogarty donned the garb of many characters but ultimately brought a beautiful balance to both Ismene and Haemon. Hayden Spencer was an excellent Creon, whose defiance of the Gods brought a sense of foreshadowing and foreboding. This re-telling of a classic Greek tragedy was raw, fresh, and modern bringing elements of our current times to life, weaving together the ancient and the new.
Antigone’s story is as the phoenix, set in an uneasy time following civil unrest, civil war. The outcome of the children of Oedipus is not a happy one, that is certain. With whispers of their incestuous father existing in corners of the Roundhouse, the story of Antigone is more about what comes after absolute sorrow. The fight scenes were expertly choreographed, the set design by Josh McIntosh, was interesting enough to warrant its own production, the clear glass centre, the hourglass shape, even the sand falling periodically throughout the production was something innovative and creative, bringing a fantastic foreboding atmosphere to this re-telling.
La Boite’s production of Antigone really is timely – stark against the current events of this uncertain and fragile world. What was really clear was that this Antigone is not the Antigone of times past. This is certainly not your ancestors’ Antigone. And that’s ok. It’s important in these troubled times to tell a story of sadness, of triumph, of hope for a better future. Do yourself a favour and catch Antigone before it is dragged into the abyss. You won’t be disappointed.
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