Mirror Magazine

Mirror Magazine

Death, rebellion and revenge revealed
Apsara Kapukotuwa is transported to the stormy times of Thebes during Antigone which was staged on June 17

Saturday evening and I’m seated facing the S. Thomas’ College (Mt. Lavinia) chapel steps, amazed at the regal transformation brought to the landscape by Greek torches and the burning of incense and the haunting flute melody as a prelude to the staging of a Greek tragedy that has always been one of my favourites.

Surrounded by proud parents, grandparents, siblings of the cast members and a smattering of well-wishers, I am transported to Thebes, in troubled times, clutching my copy of The Theban, the official publication of Antigone, which contained all the background material one could ever want to know about the goings on of the Royal Family.

As far as the hallmarks of entertainment are concerned, the play unfolding before me had it all-death, rebellion, revenge and the clash of wills. Do forgive me for commenting on the latter part of the tragedy first but one character that stands out in my recollection of that evening is that of the blind prophet Teirisias, a role wonderfully played by Shanil Wijesinghe-one of the most powerful performances of the evening.

While pathos and hubris vied for rating as the key emotion of the play, I couldn’t help but observe the clever use of the ‘stage’ area; very ingenious indeed. In fact, I felt that one of the nicest touches of the whole idea was the use of the wooded area, to the right of the chapel steps, for the play’s climax.

Given that it is no mean task for men (or boys as in this case) to play the role of women, even though it is nothing new in the age-old tradition of theatre, the effort taken to portray the female roles with all their attendant intricacies can only be admired. Nigel Walters as Antigone had a tough task indeed and one feels that he did the best under the circumstances, given the character’s complexity; playing the role of an unfortunate maiden doomed from birth to witness misfortune, who is blessed (or cursed, as well the case may be) with a righteous will of steel and a tender heart that is well-concealed is not a challenge that many would be able to do justice to. Rumour tells me that Dasith de Silva who played Ismene, is the youngest member of the main cast; that notwithstanding, his role was one of the more convincing female portrayals.

While Chaminda Samaraweera as Creon took a little time to grow into his very demanding role, his best was evident at the scenes in the play, which called for anger, derision, and remorse-emotions that Chaminda portrayed with great skill. Playing conflicting emotions did bring out the best in this young actor.
I’m sure many in the audience will agree with me when I state that those who acted best were those who had less stage time. Heamon, son of Creon, was played in the most compelling fashion by Biman Wimalaratne-the anguish felt by the character over his father’s obstinate rulings and his desire to do right by his fiancée, which conflicted with his love and loyalty for his father, is almost palpable.

Strangely enough, the encounter between tyrant father and unhappy son provided a minute opportunity for comic relief as well-a part in the play that was played to perfection when the son cheekily questions the gender orientation of the father.

Nadim Majeed did a great job of playing the hapless sentry and a pretty good job of portraying Eurydice, wife of Creon, even though the Queen’s costume was a bit on the strange side. The role of the messenger was well played by Janeeth Rodrigo and a special mention should go to the Chorus of Theban Elders, who were entrusted with a not-so-easy task of coordinating with all 12 members in their group in narrating a very depressing tale.

They did accomplish their task admirably, consistent from the start to the end of the play. Not bad at all for a group of first-timers on stage.

The bones I have to pick with the cast is that their diction was not clear at times and the lines were sometimes delivered in a very monotonous manner. One other thing-care should have been taken when ‘removing’ characters who were ‘dead’ from stage-they should have not being permitted to ‘resurrect’ themselves just as the lights dimmed. Other than those quite minor matters, it was, all in all, a very entertaining and enjoyable evening amongst a very real Greek tragedy.

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