Antigone review: Rise Up Thebes!

*** 3 STARS

Imagine Horrid Histories (2009, CBBC) meets Glee (2009, Ryan Murphy); Set to a delightfully fun score, Antigone is the historical musical that will have you humming all the way home. An entertaining new musical written and directed by Marina McCready, Antigone is a retelling of the classical greek mythology about the brave Antigone (played by Sukanya Subramaniyan) who uses her courage to overthrow her evil uncle Creon (played by Jack Lawrence) and restore a sense of faith and community back into the humble town. As a history graduate, my knowledge of Ancient Greece 441BC is embarrassingly limited. However this musical feels like a much loved episode of Horrid Histories and I left the theatre enriched and interested in researching the story of Antigone further.

McCready has written a truly delightful script, from start to finish I was invested in the action on stage. It's hilarious and has been adapted to fit with modern day standards, theres funny quips about a lack of funding for the arts, a beautiful non binary cast that subverts the archaic gender tropes, and I really love that the character of Antigone was played by a person of colour. This is the direction I hope to see history adaptations move in and I have high hopes that the creative team can develop these musicals further to tour the education circuit.

The band and the music is highly impressive, there was not one beat out of sync from the show and everything just flowed gorgeously. The music, written and directed by Felix Elliott, took the play to another dimension, transforming it into something with a buzz. The cast is tenacious and explosive with their stage presence, every actor rocked the theatre and had everybody tapping their feet and swaying in time. I think with just a little bit more fine tuning, this musical has the potential to really become something big. On occasion the story felt a little difficult to follow and I found myself getting a little tangled with the characters individual plots. Nonetheless, if musicals like Antigone had been around when I was a child, I think I definitely would have initiative to pay more attention in class!

Antigone is an incredibly impressive debut at the fringe, and there is only one way the team can go from here (up!). A heartwarming comedy musical that showcases such extensive talent. There was a lot of beauty in Antigone that was both bold, refreshing and inspiring.

Cast

Antigone – Sukanya Subramaniyan

Creon – Jack Lawrence

Tiresias – Jasmin Thien

Ismene – Marianne Ryall

Haemon – Jas Ratchford

Doris – Katy Lawrence

Patroclus – Jacob Robinson

Archimedes – Ollie Taylor

Band

Keys – Felix Elliott

Guitar – Ben Willstead

Flute – Megan Robinson

Bass – Freya Prince

Drums – Rachel Yin

Viola – Mary Offer

Production Team

Director/Writer – Marina McCready

Director – Ella Joralemon

Producer – Emily Bretz

Musical Director/Writer – Felix Elliott

Publicity Designer – Anna Piper-Thompson

Musical Director – Mary Offer

Tech Director/Sound Designer – Sam Bell

Assistant Producer – Gail Lazarus

Choreographer – Imogen Woods-Wilford

Lighting Designer/Technician – Kit Treadwell

Technician – Elizabeth Vogel