REVIEW: Antigone at USC's Longstreet Theatre by Libby Campbell

Sophocles’ Antigone, written in the 5th Century BCE  is the final chapter of the Oedipus Trilogy. Our story starts in the city of Thebes. Didem Ruhi’s beautiful lamentation provides the perfect beginning to this tragic tale.

Oedipus’ sons, Polyneices and Eteocles, have killed each other in battle during a civil war fought over succession to Oedipus’ throne. Antigone and Ismene, sisters of the fallen soldiers, reside in the city of Thebes where their uncle, Creon, reigns as king by default. Polyneices attacked the city defended by Eteocles. Creon decrees that Polyneices proved himself a traitor, an enemy of the crown, and vows that Polyneices shall remain unburied, to be devoured by dogs and vultures. He warns the citizens that anyone disobeying his command will be punished.

Antigone mourns the loss of her brother and determines to give Polyneices the burial he deserves. Her sister, Ismene, warns her of  the price she will pay for disobeying the crown. Thereby hangs a tale…

Antigone, portrayed by Elaine Werren, is a strong-willed woman determined to stand up to the demands of her uncle. More than once women are referred to as “mere women” whose words are to be dismissed. Antigone refuses to back down from the misogyny of men in power and buries her brother, punishment be damned.

What a marvelous production. Director Lauren Wilson has done an excellent job of emphasizing the feminism inherent in the script. As we all know, the themes explored by the ancient Greek philosophers and playwrights still ring true today (more’s the pity). Wilson brought together a good, strong cast and crew to tell this story. Werren is a strong, unbending Antigone, willing to pay the price of her defiance. Kyleigh McComish’s Ismene is a hesitant heroine at first, begging her sister not to rebel against Uncle Creon then growing sympathetic to Antigone’s decision. Olan Domer gave a strong portrayal of Teresias, the blind seer. His impassioned warning to Creon of the price he will pay should he execute Antigone was one of the most moving scenes of the evening. (His costume and makeup were outstanding).

There is not a weak link to be seen in the cast. Dominic DeLong-Rodgers’ Creon is unbending and unforgiving in his power. He is a commanding presence. The chorus was beautifully choreographed, using their voices and movement to drive the action of the play. Haemon, Creon’s only surviving son and fiancé, is played by Carlos Turner. He brings a rationality and composure to the story and is put in the position of having to choose between loyalty to his father or loyalty to Antigone. He implores his father to listen to the wisdom of others, to no avail. Mel Driggers’ sentry is fearful of Creon yet sympathetic to Antigone; Driggers does a great job of portraying the tug-of-war between these two emotions.

The set is absolutely beautiful. Andy Mills’ scenic design combined with Jim Hunter’s lighting design and Danielle Wilson’s sound design come together to create what to me is the perfect setting. Kristy Hall’s costumes are timeless. My only quibble with this production is with the costuming. The costumes are   timeless, however, when Creon enters in his uniform, barefoot as is the rest of the cast, it looks as if he heard his cue and dashed onstage without putting his shoes on. And that’s the extent of “things I didn’t like about this show.”

Antigone runs October 9 – 11 at 7:30 pm, and October 12 at 3:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. at Longstreet Theatre. The show runs a bit less than 90 minutes without intermission. Tickets range from $15.00 to $22.00. It’s worth every cent. Parking is at a premium, as usual. There is parking beside Drayton Hall; some street parking is available along Greene St.

REVIEW: The Visit at USC Theatre and Dance

THE VISIT

USC Department of Theatre and Dance

April 5 - 12

This writing is woefully late for a number of reasons; none of them particularly good, and for that we do apologize. However, the excellent work by everyone involved deserves an acknowledgement.

USC Theatre and Dance closed out the season with Friedrich Dürrenmatt’s The Visit, and what a production it was. The piece was first produced in 1956 in Zürich, Switzerland, and was adapted for British audiences in a production directed by Peter Brook and starring Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontaine. After touring Britain in 1957 – 58, the play was taken to Broadway. Ingrid Bergman and Anthony Quinn starred in a film adaption in 1964, and Kander and Ebb (along with a book by Terrance McNally) flipped it into a musical starring Chita Rivera in 2001. In 2020, Tony Kushner’s  new English language adaptation was produced in London.

The story takes place in the “somewhere in Europe” village of Güllen, a village which has not fallen on hard times, but under them. A miserable, poverty-stricken, dingy little hamlet. The one bright spot is the impending visit of Claire Sachanassian, the wealthiest woman in the world. Claire grew up in Güllen, and the townspeople are hopeful and desperate that she will provide them with much needed financial assistance. The scene opens with villagers, desperate to make a good impression, frantically preparing for Ms. Zachanassian’s arrival. And arrive, she does.

As a young girl, Claire fell in love with Anton Schill, who has grown up to be a model Güllenite – a successful shop keeper with a devoted wife and children, and on his way to becoming the next Bürgermeister. Alas, young Claire finds herself  with a brӧtchen in the oven. Her beloved Anton abandons her, denies his paternity, and turns the townspeople against her. She is run out of town in shame. Claire will gift the town and each of its citizens a grand fortune, in exchange for the life of the man who abandoned her. Anton’s life is about to go to hell in a ham biscuit.

Revenge is a dish best served cold…

Rachel Vanek, a Sophomore (repeat – A SOPHMORE) nailed the role of Claire. She moves like a glacier across the stage – all icy, brittle perfection. I have no doubt that if you touched her, you’d get frostbite. Cruella Deville notwithstanding, there is a shimmer of that very young woman who was shamed by the people of Güllen so very long ago, and Claire begins to win us over. Vanek’s Claire is the Ice Princess personified. (She does not “Let it Go”). I look forward to seeing this young performer in other productions.

Olan Domer plays Anton Schill to smarmy excellence. If you met him in a bar, you’d keep your cocktail covered. His expression when he realizes that he is the fee for Güllens future  prosperity is priceless. Domer played the equally smarmy Karl Lindner in USC’s production of A Raisin in the Sun earlier this year.

There truly isn’t a weak link in this cast. Maggie Davisson as Bobby, Claire’s assistant, Dominic DeLong-Rodgers as the Bürgermeister, Cameron Eubanks, the village doctor, Didem Ruhi, the priest, Elaine Werren as Fraü Schill, and Elizabeth Wheless as the teacher were all very well-cast. Along with the rest of the ensemble, many of whom were double and triple cast, the story builds in intensity and suspense. I must mention Koby Hall and Rafe Hardin, who play the two blind men. Not only are they hysterically funny (until we learn how they came to be blind), but they are also blind and on stilts.

Lindsay Wilkinson’s costume design is amazing. Working with Kristy Hall, she develops a costume plot which is a bit art-deco, a bit Weimar Republic, a bit Picasso, and a smattering of A Clockwork Orange…. It was fascinating to watch the costumes change  as the characters  wearing them changed. Her use of patterns and color brought another dimension to the production.

The stage at Drayton Hall is massive, and the set/lighting/sound designers (Ashley Jensen, Lorna, Young, Danielle Wilson) filled it completely. The use of beautifully painted scrims allowed the set to change completely with a light cue. The sound was very well done. The train station serves as a focal point, and the sounds and the smokestacks turned me into a gleeful five-year old kid again. (I must confess I so wanted Claire to burst into “Don’t Cry for Me, Argentina” when she stepped out onto the balcony.)

The Visit is not only a story of revenge, but also a warning tale about avarice, integrity, loyalty, and the effects of soul-searing capitalism. Director Craig Miller, a USC alum, brought all of this together in an entertaining, provocative production. The only negative to this show is the all too short length of its run.

USC’s Department of Theatre and Dance has long been a contributor to some of the very best of Columbia theatre. Its students and faculty share their talents with theatres throughout the city. Many of them have gone on to teach, perform, and share their gifts on stages and in schools across the country.

USC Opens Neil Simon's Rumors at Drayton Hall Friday Oct., 15th

The University of South Carolina Theatre Program will launch its 21/22 season in uproarious style October 15-22 with a production of Neil Simon’s raucous comedy Rumors at Drayton Hall Theatre.  

Show time is at 8 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, with additional 3 p.m. matinee performances on Saturday, October 16 and Sunday, October 17. Admission is $15 for students, $20 for UofSC faculty/staff, military, and seniors 60+, and $22 for the general public. Tickets may be purchased online at sc.universitytickets.com. Drayton Hall Theatre is located at 1214 College St., across from the historic UofSC Horseshoe. In keeping with university safety protocols, masks will be required of all audience members, actors and crew, and seating will be limited to allow for appropriate social distancing between all patrons.  

Sharp-edged wit meets madcap farce in legendary playwright Simon’s hit 1988 comedy.  When the first pair of guests arrive for an anniversary party at the opulent home of Charlie Brock, the Deputy Mayor of New York, they find their host unconscious, shot in the head (well…the ear lobe), and his wife missing.  Wanting to protect Charlie – and themselves – from potential scandal, they fabricate a lie to tell the rapidly-arriving partygoers, setting in motion an ever-more-hilarious series of cover-ups, misunderstandings and mishaps. "Has nothing on its mind except making the audience laugh." - The New York Times

Recipient of the Pulitzer Prize (1991) and the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor (2006), in addition to numerous Tony® awards, Neil Simon was one of the most successful writers of the 20th century, with hits like The Odd Couple, Barefoot in the Park, and Biloxi Blues becoming long-running successes on stage and screen.  His work has become especially personal to director David Britt, who counts Rumors as the seventh Simon play he’s helmed in the last decade.

“I am a student of Neil Simon and his writing,” says Britt.  “When I was growing up, he was as popular a playwright as anybody, and I see his influence in everything I’ve seen since. I will always pay tribute to him.”

There’s an old expression, ‘I dropped my basket,’ meaning you've lost it...  Everybody’s basket gets dropped in Rumors!

Although the playwright told The New York Times that Rumors was his “first farce” and “completely different for me,” the play’s humor is still classic Simon. “It’s a sarcasm that many of us in the South may not be familiar with,” says Britt of the Simon’s signature one-liners.  “Our sarcasm is often very passive-aggressive, but his is straight to the point.  It’s given and received with the same attitude.”

In keeping with the classic form of farce, Rumors’ comedy is rooted in characters who become completely unraveled in the wake of fast-moving chaos and absurdity.  However, Britt says that Simon’s heightened characters are still totally relatable.

“Having read about Simon and the circles he ran in I think these characters are people he would have attended parties with.  There’s no one in this play who is an unbelievable person and that’s what we’re going for -- to hold up a mirror and say, ‘Look how crazy we all are under pressure.’”  

“There’s an old expression, ‘I dropped my basket,’ meaning you've lost it,” he adds with a laugh.  “Everybody’s basket gets dropped in Rumors!”

Britt’s production will bring its own special sense of zaniness to the proceedings, transporting audiences back to the “decade of excess” with a 1980s design aesthetic filled with shoulder pads, big jewelry and even bigger hair. “This play is not only a farce, but a comedic commentary on the socio-economic status of the wealthy,” says graduate design student Kyla Little, costume designer for the production.  “Material possessions have an interesting way of changing the confidence of the human psyche and I take pleasure in exaggerating that through the aesthetic trends of that era.”

Additional designers for the production include Professor Jim Hunter (scenic), graduate design student Lawrence Ware (lighting), undergraduate media arts student Alisha De Jesus (makeup) and guest artist Danielle Wilson (sound.)  

The show’s cast includes students Brandon Badinski, John Boulay, Jesse Breazeale, Zoe Chan, Billy Cheek, Koby Hall, Andie Lowe, Caroline McGee, Jordan Pontelandolfo and Isabella Stenz.

“It’s non-stop laughter for the audience to watch,” promises Britt.  “There isn’t any message beyond just enjoying yourself watching these people who think they’re so collected become so uncollected in a matter of minutes.”  

“Just come and have a good time.”

For more information on Rumors or the theatre program at the University of South Carolina, contact Kevin Bush by phone at 803-777-9353 or via email at bushk@mailbox.sc.edu.   

 Courtesy of UofSC Department of Theatre and Dance