Burial at Thebes: to 19 November
Nottingham
BURIAL AT THEBES
Sophocles ANTIGONE translated by Seamus Heaney
Nottingham Playhouse to Saturday 19 November
7.45pm. Mat 12 November 2.30pm, 17 November 1.30pm
Audio described performances 15 November 7.45pm, 16 November 7.45pm
Signed interpreted performance 11 November 7.45pm
Runs 1hr 15 min. No interval
TICKETS: 0115 9419419
www.nottinghamplayhouse.co.uk
Review: Jen Mitchell 9th November 2005
The human condition cuts across 2500 years, settings and language change – human emotions don’t.
In his recent translation Seamus Heaney has taken a Greek masterpiece and made it as relevant to audiences today as when it was written.
All the original action is there – fairy stark and horrific – in this tragedy but Heaney’s mastery of language has produced a play that is at once beautifully lyrical yet accessible and modern. The different metrical patterns he uses for different characters mark the contrasts between chorus, royalty and the common guard.
Many see Burial at Thebes as examining current political issues; in fact Heaney himself acknowledges the ‘Creon ness’ of a certain political figure in the White House in the build up to the war in Iraq. However, the title was chosen in reference to the burial – the reminder of our own mortality, the deep seated human urge to respect our dead according to our traditions.
The amphitheatre in which the action takes place allows no hiding place for the strong cast. Antigone (Jodie McNee), is a taut as a coiled spring, immensely strong but with a passion that is rarely found outside youth. Nothing wasted, no gesture unnecessary. A startling performance for a professional debut.
Creon (Michael Byrne) is a man so full of self-belief that it leads to the death, not only of Antigone, but of his wife and son. An outstanding performance, full of nuance and shading, unspoken thoughts and emotions visible in his face.
The combination of spoken and sung narrative from the strong chorus take us through time and place, from ancient Greece – at times the lighting gives a mask-like quality to their faces – to Celtic rhythms of the bodhran and haunting flute melodies.
Beautifully designed, even the stark amphitheatre has a modernist touch with its painted walls. The colour changes throughout are dramatic but the feeling of depth and distance keep us aware of the plays history and background.
Creon/Chorus: Michael Byrne
Chorus Leader: David Hobbs
Messenger/Chorus: Sam Kenyon
Antigone/Chorus: Jodie McNee
Tiresias/Chorus: Murray Melvin
Eurydice/Chorus: Joan Moon
Haemon/Chorus: Daniel Rigby
Guard Chorus: Matthew Rixon
Chorus: Mick Sands
Ismene/Chorus: Michelle Terry
Director: Lucy Pitman-Wallace
Designer: Jessica Curtis
Lighting Designer: Neil Austin
Movement Director: Sue Lefton
Composer and Musical Director: Mick Sands
2005-11-11 20:43:44