Antigone, a Greek tragedy by Sophocles, takes place in the city of Thebes, shortly after a civil war.

The war was fought between two brothers - Eteocles (for the ruling elite) and Polyneices (for the rebels). After Polyneices is killed, the new King, Creon, rules his body be left unburied in the wild.

Antigone, Polyneices' sister, defies the King and buries her brother. An act that ultimately leads to her death as well as that of her fiancé (Creon's son), and his mother's.

Antigone, a classical tragedy, will probably be more appealing to traditional theatregoers and the dialogue at times is hard to follow. The play has however been modernised by director Sean Mathias. In this version the audience sees Creon (well played by John Kani) in a business suit, and soldiers dressed in combat fatigues with modern weaponry. The production also features a large television screen, featuring interviews and film footage by the make-believe news agency TNN.

The striking aspect of the news cast is that it features real footage from current conflict hotspots in the Middle East and Africa. As the play progresses one gets the feeling that this two thousand year-old play about a liberator turned tyrant is as topical now as it was then.

Production: Antigone
Director: Sean Mathias
Cast: John Kani, Hanlé Barnard, Sonia Esgueira, Vaneshran Arumugam, Brian Webber, Andre Weideman, Terry Norton, Maurice Podbrey
Venue: Baxter Theatre
Time: 8:00pm
Price: R55 - R75
Performances: 7 - 24 Jul 2004