Review by Harry Bower
⭐️⭐️⭐️
Aged fourteen, Esmeh was a vulnerable young person when she was convinced to leave the UK and join Islamic State in Syria, falling pregnant twice and fleeing before begging the authorities back home to approve her return. Back in England her sister, Antiya, is beginning a hunger strike in an effort to raise awareness of the case following a Supreme Court case dismissal. The Home Secretary and his family become embroiled in a 21st century press and social media frenzy which forces everyone to consider the implications of their actions and their relationships with power.
Esmeh and her family are entirely fictional. Alexander Raptotasios’ piece, however, could never be accused of being unrelatable. Antigone [on strike] is unmistakably inspired by Shamima Begum’s case in which the UK Government stripped the citizenship of the so-called ‘ISIS bride’ in February 2019 citing ‘national security’ grounds. The Government’s PREVENT programme plays a starring role here as does the Conservative government who were in power during Begum’s case, and these facts are relevant in the sense they more firmly link this adaptation of Sophocles’ classic to the politically charged rhetoric and public discourse which still fuels lively debate about that period in British history.
The piece is made controversial further by its use of interactive voting handsets which are distributed by the cast ahead of the start. We are encouraged, studio-audience-style, to vote on questions which are delivered by an AI-assistant style narrator, on moral, ethical, and practical outcomes woven into the plot. We are told that our collective opinions will inform the plot and may impact the characters’ actions, presumably therefore creating multiple possible scene combinations. The extent to which this deviation happened on press night is less clear, and because we never find out what the possible outcomes are in each circumstance it’s impossible to be too impressed by the performers’ ability to turn on a dime. If there are even two possible developments in plot at each question, this would still be a challenge, and one executed pretty effectively.
It’s a shame, though, that the interactive elements seem to be a missed opportunity. Often questions are asked to no narrative impact, or phrased in such a way that there is no consensus. The questions which do create a meaningful consensus seem too conveniently aligned with the intended direction of the plot - the television studio scenes in particular - which leave a soft landing when addressed by the characters. It almost feels like because the questions are asked more often than not by a neutral and/or plot-irrelevant figure, they do not inspire drama and therefore feel ineffectual at driving the plot. Perhaps we were just an unproblematic audience?
The cast perform admirably in an unusual half-round setup, directed ably by Raptotasios who ensures the audience are engaged throughout. The ensemble is at its best when the piece picks up pace and actors are permitted the time to invest in their characterisation and physicality. Otherwise, sadly they are thrown in and out of newsreader personas and end up multi-rolling so much it threatens whiplash. When this works, it is a spectacular cacophony of energy and noise which adds huge value to the piece overall. At its weakest, scenes feel rushed, audio visual transitions are rusty and lag, and the whole thing feels a bit uncomfortable. It’s clear there is some merit to the stylistic way in which the piece represents rolling news and the pace of social media information anarchy but it more often than not misses its mark.
Despite my criticism, I enjoyed the ninety minutes which played out in the stark white House of Commons-cum-Court Room hybrid set. Asked at the beginning of the piece, some 40 percent of audience members say they came to the show to have their beliefs challenged. When in its stride, Antigone [on strike] achieves this with flare, allowing its antagonists and its creative representation of societal views at the time of Begum’s case to inspire an internal monologue of debate while you watch it unfold. My frustration with some choices in the production are purely down to its inconsistency and its potential to be something more challenging, more refined, and more meaningful.
Antigone [on strike] plays at Park Theatre until Monday 04 February 2025. For more information visit: https://parktheatre.co.uk/event/antigone-on-strike/
Photos by Nir Segal D