(Casey Milledge & Arabella Latham as King
Creon & Antigone)
A production which is
completely accessible to a new audience in our modern technological age.
(Review by Keith Millar)
Normally, I am not
a great fan of productions which alter or update the great literary
masterpieces of the past. After all, they are masterpieces because of the
brilliance of their original format.
However, it must be
said that with their very clever adaptation of Sophocles Antigone, Durban Girls College have absolutely nailed it. They have
taken the 2400 year-old Greek tragedy and turned it into a 21st
century gem which is fresh, vibrant and wonderfully entertaining. With #Antigone, they have managed to create a
production which is completely accessible to a new audience in our modern
technological age.
In fact, given the
overall quality of the production it was hard to believe, except for the youth
of the performers, that one was watching a school presentation and not
something on a professional stage.
Antigone is a timeless tale of a strong-willed and determined young woman who
defies the edict of her king and buries her brother, Polyneices, who had died
on the battlefield. King Creon had decreed that Polyneices was a rebel and traitor
and that his body should not be sanctified but should be left to rot. Creon is
enraged at Antigone’s actions and locks her away in a deep, dark dungeon.
Creon then faces
serious insurrection from his people and, after a lot of persuasion, changes
his mind about Antigone’s imprisonment. Unfortunately, in true Greek tragedy
mould, he is too late. Antigone has poisoned herself. Her fiancé Haemon, who is
the King’s son, finds her dead so falls on his sword. The Queen, Eurydice, dies
of a broken heart on hearing this news.
# Antigone follows the same basic story line but with many innovative extras. There
are two TV news studios, one on each side of the stage which, along with field
reporters, give regular updates of the action. Two narrators are also employed
to explain the story and move the action along – while a very accomplished
group of drummers provide dramatic bridges between scenes.
We were also
treated to some excellent dance from a team of three very graceful young ladies
while the cast indulges in a bit of hip-hop and even tries toyi-toying when
protesting against Creon.
Multimedia is much
in use with dramatic battle scenes being projected as well as filmed
backgrounds during the news reports. A lovely touch is the series of tweets
scrolling along the bottom of two big screens during these news broadcasts.
Most of the cast
dress in modern clothing with plenty of tights, T-shirts and beanies on show.
The royalty are clothed in smart business suits while Antigone wears medieval
clothing.
The standard of the
performances from the entire cast is very high. Great credit must be given to
the co-directors Wendy Watson and Kenlynn Sutherland and their team who have
coached these youngsters to act with such accuracy and verve.
Arabella Latham as Antigone
is beautiful, ethereal and strong. She epitomises the young woman who sticks to
her beliefs through all adversity. She also shows a lovely singing voice when
she sings a gentle love song composed by herself with lyrics by Kenlynn
Sutherland.
Casey Milledge as
King Creon is wonderfully regal and pompous as he strides about the stage like
a bantam cock laying down the law.
The narrators and
newsreaders were very erudite and spoke with perfect eloquence and diction. It
was a joy to hear the English language so well used.
One of the highlights
was the fine comedy performance by Kae Cele as the Sentry who reports Antigone
to the King. Talk about scene-stealing and making the most of a small part –
this girl is a master.
There was
considerable technical input into this play, with sound, lighting and
multimedia all playing integral roles. The contribution from all these areas
was creative, effective and professional.
It is a pity that # Antigone at Durban Girls College was
scheduled to run only from May 11 to 14. I think it could have enjoyed a much
longer run and entertained a far wider audience. It is of great credit to
Durban Girls College and their cultural programme that they are able to produce
a production of this standard.
# Antigone, along with the work being produced by many of our other leading
schools, can’t fail to raise a hope that we may be seeing a re-birth of the
creative arts in our City. – Keith Millar