‘Antigone’ - National Olivier Theatre - Sunday 10th June 2012

(Rated 4/5 )

And now I can genuinely give this production a higher score J (Please see my previous review of opening preview night.) This time I really felt emotions, thought hard with the characters about the issues, arguments and conflicts and felt completely engaged with what was going on. Well done to all! As I said before maybe it wasn’t fair of me to review the very first performance and expect so much, but that said I have seen other previews that certainly affected me much more and were more engaging. This time I felt confident and safely carried along with the drama. Last time I felt highly anxious, willing the cast to do well, but cringing that it wasn’t happening for me.

On this occasion I went with a small group of people. We had a brilliant time during the play and discussing over a meal afterwards. The following incorporates reactions from us all and thank you to my friends for their interesting, insightful and entertaining comments and allowing me to add them to my review.

The theme of this play is tyranny. This time that fully came across – not simply the tyrannical Creon, but also the bullying from Antigone, who in some ways, and in some cultures old and contemporary could be seen as a terrorist herself. Jodie Whittaker as Antigone was less the petulant child she had seemed before, and Christopher Eccleston’s Creon’s internal self-deliberation was visible. Their debates felt like bullets aiming at and hitting their targets even though those targets were not outwardly wounded. Yet I did feel the wounds between father; Creon and son; Haemon as they verbally and physically fought over their views and the condemnation of the Haemon’s betrothed, Antigone. Big shout out goes to Luke Newberry – I was moved by Haemon’s truth and he made impact on his unbending father to the point of Creon having to literally attempt to beat the opposition out of his son, with an effort so strong that he split his shirt open, scattering buttons and revealing his strapped-up chest. Creon-Chris rapidly pulled himself together in a way that felt so much the character rather than the actor trying to protect his dignity. Chris was convincing to the majority of us, to the point of forgetting it was him rather than Creon, though one of us did think “Creon was mediocre”.

Later in the play a messenger, played by Kobna Holdbrook-Smith has to inform Creon’s wife Eurydice – Zoë Aldrich – of her son’s fate. This was such an emotive interaction both by the informer and the mother. It reminded me of several scene-elements in Shakespeare in which one character is giving news of, or experiences of another character that we never see. It obviously disobeys the playwriting rule of show not tell, and yet when the mother’s reaction is this important and this well performed it is a more poignant choice.

Many different choices were made this time in performance, in particular by Chris Eccleston. Even though playing a tense character, he seemed more relaxed and in tune with the process, as were the rest of the cast, maybe taking his lead and all going with the process – still split in their views but more connected in their delivery.

The entire audience seemed to sense the piece on this occasion. Creon got many laughs – some maybe in shock - in particular with his “These women are neurotic”. How familiar is that to many of us, perhaps more so as women, from men who don’t seem to have time for feelings and are in positions where they are obliged to put matters of state or work before family and relationships. Of course it can also reflect differences between men and women in any case in matters of the head or heart. I suppose what was sad and disappointing about this version of the play and what it brought up was there seemed to be little anger, sadness or even indignation from the audience. Antigone and her sister Ismene (Annabel Scholey) are facing death at this point and yet we don’t feel it’s as catastrophic or final as that. This piece almost feels more like a black comedy than a tragedy.

With all the fatalities and Creon’s anguished cry of “I am nothing” at the end, we ‘ought’ to feel how absolutely devastating this all is. But I still did not. And this time I was sitting in a really good seat to see everything. I hate to say it – yes I promise Chris Eccleston remains one of my greatest stage-loves – but at that point I didn’t feel a truly broken man, but someone acting that and in a few minutes he’ll be out of character and smiling at curtain call. And so he did to deservedly enthusiastic applause from the audience. And this time also the actors returned for a second time, led by Christopher and Jodie alone for a few moments, before welcoming back the rest of the cast, with a big smile on Chris’ face as he checks both sides that everyone is together before leading the bows.

I’d like to give – oh gosh this sounds like an acceptance speech and it so isn’t ;) – a final shout out to Michael Grady-Hall, who performs for longest in this production, as he patiently watched the monitor showing the progress of the battle between Antigone’s brothers, and makes notes on what he sees – a reflection of The Lives of Others.

This was for sure “better than staying in with Columbo”.

P.S. At this point in many of my reviews I am giving my experience of the theatre itself – this I have already done with The National Olivier Theatre. But I would like to write a little about Chris himself. And at this point Chris feels more appropriate than Christopher. As you may have gathered from some of my previous Restricted Reviews I enjoy meeting the actors afterwards at the stage door and as themselves – or maybe I should say as much of themselves as they are able to regain having lent much to their character. I have encountered Christopher a few times. Understandably ‘outside’ he has been a little closed off in a kind-of public-persona. I can fully empathise with that. This time, after one of his Antigone performances, I felt I was meeting Chris. He was relaxed, charming, appreciative and funny. He took in comments about the production, thanked us and said he’d pass them on to the rest of the cast. He cheerily joked with myself and a friend about the process of autograph-signing and photo-taking and made sure that everyone got their turn and all they wanted from the experience. A generous, kind-hearted gent!

Antigone – Review by TheRestrictedReviewer © 2012

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