Antigone X, directed by Jeff Janisheski for Cal Rep, by James Scarborough
March 24, 2018
INTRODUCTION. I’ve always wondered why the story’s called Antigone and not Creon. Or at least why Creon’s not given equal billing in the title. Antigone must choose between death and the mourning and burial of a dead brother. She's the visceral one. Creon is the administrative one. He has to rule a kingdom, nepotism be damned. He’s not evil. He’s just put in the position of pushing the boundaries of decency that his law and order edicts require. The way in which the production ends, we can see how it's his story more than it is that of Antigone.
WHAT'S IT ABOUT? Cizmar’s adaptation follows Sophocles’ story of a family that’s as cursed AF. (The updates come in the form of contemporary references and some nice technical, Chorus-less touches.)
Antigone (Dorothea Darby) and her sister Esme (Annajane Murphy) grieve the loss of their brothers, Eteocles and Polyneices. They had just fought each other to the death in an effort to assume the throne of Thebes, lately vacated by one Oedipus. Their uncle, Creon (Tom Trudgeon), the newly crowned Theban king, decrees that Eteocles can be buried with proper rites. He refuses Polyneices the same courtesy because he believes that his other nephew is a traitor.
The penalty if one – family member or not - mourns and buries a traitor in Creon’s Thebes? Execution.
Against the counsel of Emse, Antigone mourns and buries Polyneices’ well-guarded body. Creon imprisons Antigone. True to his word, he plans to execute her. She convinces Creon that Ismene had nothing to do with the affront to her uncle's rule. A blind soothsayer Titresias (Kayla Manuel) warns Creon of two things, lest he displease the gods. First, don’t leave Polyneices unburied. Second, don't kill Antigone. Creon relents. When he goes to free Antigone, he finds that she has killed herself. Her fiance Haemon (Malachi Beasley) follows suit. Creon’s wife, Eurydice (Rachel Post), kills herself, as well.
WHY DOES IT MATTER? In an era of calls to duty born of many and various crises of conscience, the story resonates at this contentious moment. It asks the timeless question: what is the proper response to injustice? The production also wrestles with a follow-up question, What, then, if both responses are valid? Such is the case because we can understand Antigone's position; and we can understand Creon's position.
WHO SHOULD SEE IT? Anyone who wants to see a captivating story transplanted so that it mirrors present concerns without missing a beat.
Anyone who’s ever wondered how far they would push their personal convictions. Would you be willing to die, for instance, at the service of a cherished belief?
WHAT SHOULD I FOCUS ON? Janisheski’s narrative management. Though the play’s title suggests we should root for the eponymous character, Janisheski makes us feel the weight of Creon’s position as much as he does that of Antigone’s. We would think that Creon’s responsibilities would dwarf those of Antigone. He manages the welfare of a kingdom. She concerns herself with a single family member. His perspective – threats of terrorism and insurrection require strict adherence to decrees, family ties be damned. Her perspective – He’s my brother, show some respect! Both, then, are right. Because of that damn curse, though, both can’t be right.
Trudgeon’s Creon. He shows us how hard it is to lead. In an early speech to his subjects, he comes across as a charismatic, unflappable CEO speaking at a shareholder’s meeting. He focuses on the future. He promises a regime of well-being. This includes commitment to his kingdom’s safety (Think of borders; think of a wall). This includes commitment to the black and white niceties of law and order (Think of obsequious Attorneys General and gray-area lobbyists). Then, as values clash – safety versus freedom, especially, religious freedom – he finds himself in a no-win position that Trudgeon handles to great effect.
Darby’s Antigone. She shows us how hard it is to follow. If, to Antigone’s mind, Trudgeon’s Creon is a tyrant, then Darby’s Antigone, to Creon’s mind, is a renegade. She brims with life as she flies across the stage to and from the arms of her fiancé and back to various encounters with her sister and uncle. This energy makes her ultimate fate all the more tragic and unnerving.
Two clever prop substitutes for the Chorus. Scenic Designer Xiyu Lin’s wall isn’t just a backdrop, it’s a metaphor for the boundaries and options that Creon faces. Especially remarkable is what the wall does to Creon in the production’s final moments.
Video Designer Hsuan-Kuang Hsieh’s scenes that project on a circular monitor serve several ends. Sometimes the monitor reflects the passage of time with clouds that blanket a full moon. Other times it serves as a single, haunting eye. It reflects what is happening as it looks out on the action; and it looks inward to reflect the thoughts and feelings of the characters.
THE VERDICT? This stupendous conceived and executed production shows why one should embrace the classics, even if they aren’t on a class syllabus.
HOW DO I VISIT? Performances are Saturday, March 24 at 2:00pm and 8:00pm; Tuesday, April 3 at 8:00pm; Wednesday, April 4 at 8:00 pm; Thursday, April 5 at 8:00 pm; Friday, April 6 at 8:00 pm; Saturday, April 7 at 2:00 pm; Saturday, April 7 at 8:00pm; and Sunday, April 8 at 2:00pm. The show runs until ABC. Tickets are $12.50 - $20.00. The Theatre is located at University Theater at CSULB, 7th Street and East Campus Drive. For more information, visit here.