Deb Carr
1 min
I had the great pleasure of viewing Antigone at PACT theatre (107 Railway Parade, Erskineville) last Thursday evening and would highly recommend it not only as a talent scout but also from a set designer's perspective. Originally written by Jean Anouilh, and performed in 1944 in Nazi-occupied Paris, the play's themes of authority and its rejection are still upheld but given a new flare by esteemed French director Anna Jahjah. Blacktown Girls High provides a gifted, fresh-faced, French-speaking chorus and Ellen William's Antigone rasps wonderfully with Neil Modra's Creon.
The sparse set constantly flows with floating circles and full use of exit points. Anna's well-known, talented husband and set constructor, Gerry Sont, has carefully included the audience in a modernised amphitheatre upholding the original Greek tragedy contours and giving you a close-up of the action. Antigone is the ill-fated daughter of Oedipus and his mother; she's an independent, powerhouse on a mission to bury her brother at any cost despite the supreme leader's, her uncle Creon's, legal objection.
Crisis is inevitable and you are enthralled with the tragic undertones upheld by every single performers total focus. There are a couple of untrained, "accidental actors" who gel marvellously with the whole cast. It truly is a great night out but is only running for 10 performances so grab tickets asap click here