Top 5 Reasons to See Twilight’s Antigone

Amy Lichtenstein and Blaine Vincent
Photo by Alicia Turvin

By Tina Arth

To be brutally honest, I was not thrilled about seeing Antigone at Twilight Theater Company last weekend. I knew very little about the play (the ancient Greeks, while certainly of monumental importance to Western Civilization, never really grabbed my attention), and after an online search for a quick overview of the plot I was even less enthusiastic. The story sounded impossibly convoluted – the sort of thing that, had it been written by Shakespeare, would have involved several acts spread over at least three hours, leaving me weak with longing for the final curtain. My advice? If you are not already a fan, do not google the play. To be on the safe side, don’t even read the thoroughly illuminating program notes by historical consultant Christopher Ruggles (until after the play – then by all means immerse yourself!). Instead, go with a completely open mind, buoyed by the following:

• Jean Anouilh, the author of the adaptation staged at Twilight, is definitely not a Shakespeare wannabe – the script is sharp and uncluttered.
• Chris Murphy, who plays “The Chorus,” is utterly engaging – he makes the story line crystal clear and lends an appealingly sardonic note to the entire affair.
• While done in modern dress, the play is presented as timeless – there are no irritating attempts to modernize a story that needs no such modification.
• In difficult times, it’s important (and comforting) to be reminded that the fundamental cycles of human conflict are unchanging – what happened in 441 BC didn’t stay in 441 BC – and correspondingly, that our troubles too shall pass away.
• Although Twilight evening shows start at 8:00 pm, Antigone is presented as one longish act (no intermission) - you can be out of the theater and on your way home (or out for post-theater frivolity) by 9:30 or so, and the steadily building tension of the tragedy is not disrupted by an unnecessary break.

I’ll give the briefest overview possible: Antigone (daughter of Oedipus, so you know she’s going to have a complex or two of her own) mourns the death of her two brothers, rivals for the Theban throne in a bloody civil war. Creon (father of Antigone’s fiancé Haemon) is now king, and he decrees that one brother (Eteocles) will be buried with honor while leaving the other (Polynices) to rot on the field of battle as a stern lesson to would-be rebels. Antigone defies Creon and sneaks out to bury Polynices. She also tells Haemon that she’ll never be able to marry him (knowing that the penalty for burying her brother is death). Creon is infuriated when he learns that someone has scattered dirt over Polynices’ body, and orders the guards to uncover the body and to capture the miscreant. The guards enter with a struggling Antigone – she has gone back to bury her brother again, this time in broad daylight. Unwilling to lose Antigone as Haemon’s bride, Creon orders Antigone to retire to her bed and claim that she’s ill – he will take care of the guards. Antigone (stubborn little thing that she is) absolutely refuses, putting Creon in the position that he must execute her to maintain law and order. Antigone’s sister Ismene falsely claims to have covered the body, but Antigone refuses to let her take the rap. I won’t give away the rest – but it’s safe to assume that several people die and Creon is left a very, very lonely man – he has upheld the rigid tenets of the law, but at an impossibly high price.

In addition to the previously mentioned Chris Murphy, several other actors give particularly moving performances. In particular, Amy Lichtenstein gives us an immovably resolute “Antigone,” as with calm intensity she condemns herself to death rather than violate the dictates of her conscience. Blaine Vincent’s “Haemon” starts out as a seemingly callow son of privilege, but evolves nicely into the passionate fiancé ready to sacrifice everything for love. Jim Butterfield gives “Creon” the right touch for true tragedy, so as much as we want to hate him as a heartless politician we cannot help but pity him – he conveys fiercely genuine anguish at the inevitability of the decisions he makes.

It is always tempting to draw modern parallels to this kind of political drama, and there is certainly much to ponder about the play’s broader themes. Like many shows, this one resonates long after the stage is dark, so it’s a great idea to take a friend along with whom you can explore your reactions.  Director Tobias Andersen and his cast deliver plenty of first-rate fodder for reflection and discussion.

Twilight Theater Company’s Antigone is playing at the Performing Arts Theater, 7515 N. Brandon Avenue, Portland through Sunday, February 11^th with performances at 8 P.M. Friday and Saturday and 3:00 P.M. Sunday.