I won't claim to be a great follower of Greek drama so it is highly ironic that I should see 2 Greek tragedies on consecutive nights ( in seperate coutries). Fresh from enjoying " Clytemenestra" in Cardiff I moved onto Mornington Crescent to see Sophocles "Antigone".
"Antigone" is the daughter of Oedipus mourning the deaths of her brothers in mortal combat ( which occurred at the end of " Seven against Thebes"). Creon has become King of Thebes and determined to show he is not afraid of exerting authority he decrees that the body of the traitor Polynices remain unburied, stating that anyone who disobeys his order be put to death.This being a Greek tragedy we know that such a simple sounding statement will undoubtedly end badly for all concerned.
The director's decision to set this production within a theatre group putting on this play within the context of the Greek riots against the current round of austerity measures was a masterstroke. Immediately, this show becomes relevant to a modern audience, proving that all good drama is timeless.
Ultimately, though the success of any play revolves around the actors and "Antigone" was fortunate to have 2 excellent performances in the key roles. Tania Batzoglou was outstanding in the passionate, emotional title role while David Middleton personified authority in the flawed belief that "discipline" will create a controllable and obedient populous. He is the only non-Greek performer and the contrast in accents has the bonus of emphasizing how out of step he is with his subjects.
I must also commend the space itself. It is an intimate theatre providing excellent views and impressively, superb acoustics, with a good balance between the speeches and the excellent music by Aristarchos Papadopolous.
Director and founder of Theatro Technis George Eugeniou intends to run all five remaining plays of the Oedipus legend. I would happily return.
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