Third Wall Theatre’s Antigone: An Intimate Cast of Well Recognized and Award Winning Artists!

Sterling Lynch says:

From Barb Popel:

I am intrigued by Greek theatre. So this is a banner month. Third Wall Theatre is performing Sophocles’ Antigone, in a new version by Ottawa’s gifted Henry Beissel.

Despite being almost two and a half millenia old, Antigone has a lot to say to us today about following your conscience versus obeying the law. The eponymous character Antigone is determined to honour her dead rebel brother and the gods by giving her brother a proper burial. Her uncle Creon, the ruler of Thebes, is equally determined that his decree – that her brother’s body be dumped outside the city to be devoured by wild dogs and carrion birds – be obeyed on pain of death.

Think this sounds far removed from 2011? Think again. The script – which I was assured was not revised due to the Arab Spring – has a lot to say about megalomaniacal tyrants (think Ghadafi), about rulers who ignore their advisors and the will of the people, about those who can only see black and white but never grey, about the terrible results prideful actions cause to ripple through a community.

The 5 actors – Simon Bradshaw, Richard Gelinas, John Koensgen, Emily Peralman and Kristina Watt – play multiple roles, including the all-important Chorus. They do a fine job, though initially they sometimes sounded a bit stilted in their delivery, due to a few peculiar phrasings. Maybe it was the poetry, maybe it was opening night nerves. Anyway, a minor thing.

I’d particularly like to single out Richard Gelinas. His Tieresias, the blind prophet, is masterful, His Messenger is laugh-out-loud hilarious. (And yes, it’s OK to laugh out loud during a Greek tragedy.)

James Richardson made a wise choice in setting the play in the round. It meant that we in the audience became citizens of Thebes, and were spoken to directly rather than being disengaged observers. This worked really well, I thought. Kudos, too, to Richardson for the unobtrusive but effective sound design, to Rebecca Miller for lighting design (the lighting almost plays a role, in and of itself), and to Anna Chambers for ensuring that all the to’ing and fro’ing and costume changing which had to go on off-stage, as the actors morphed from one character to another, was as smooth as silk.

Antigone is in the Studio of the Irving Greenberg Centre, Wellington and Holland, until Apr.2. Details at…
http://www.thirdwall.com/2010-2011-season/show-2/

Take advantage of this rare opportunity – see some Greek!

Barb