Antigone.
So worth my Thursday night, I swear.
Invited by college mate Emily and joined by Zaheera, we whizzed our way to KLPAC last night as we were awfully late (thirty minutes or so) for a theatre play due to the terrible jam. As someone who can't handle latecomers, I was balancing myself in between choices of going or staying in campus. Rushing into a black box with tons of people staring and judging is the last thing I need! Just seconds before I pulled out, transport arrived thus I dejectedly entered Zah's car, worrying about little things that mattered so much to me. An hour later we arrived, shaking outside KLPAC's Indicine I was as we figured out that the entrance was placed right in front of the stage's runway.
Means we were about to enter like fucking actors.
It's wasn't difficult imagining myself enter like an armadillo curled into a ball, rolling into a full house crying for my husky plushie. Door opened, three of us scurried in with those crazy light effects on, stirring the situation worse for me. It felt like having anxiety & panic attacks at the same time, and suddenly we're seated on the grey-painted floor. I failed to focus on the show for the first five minutes as the trembling husky was trying so hard to calm herself down. Looking back at the doors we entered through, the inner me was screaming my lungs out while the corner of my eyes spot a few evil-looking humans staring at us, judging our presence.
Sorry I totally lost track on what this post is all about, I'll write about the play now.
Antigone - a modern English translation of a Greek classic, about the concept of divine law & human law with a touch of justice, is such an overwhelming play presented by The Actors Studio Seni Teater Rakyat in collaboration with Theatresauce, directed by Kelvin Wong. Overwhelming is the term I picked as I did feel engulfed into an abstract dimension with an ongoing tragedy. What worked great for me are the lighting & set design - they brought much experimental aura into the audience's eyes but simultaneously not throw away the impression of the play's classic background. Then there's the acting - I fully enjoyed the performance of Amanda Ang (Antigone) and Qahar Aqilah (King Kreon) as their facial expressions and body gestures spoke to me, drowning me in empathy towards both parties (I wasn't able to choose a side). However, Gregory Sze who played Kreon's son lacked emotion although it was visible that he tried hard. A little cringy I got when the dances of The Three Henchmen weren't coordinated well, not sure whether they were scripted to be that way but I couldn't present an applause for them. Same goes to the clicks heard when lights were flickered, maybe use silent switches next time?
Would definitely recommend this play to the ones who love modern digests of classical Greek tragedies. Giving it a rating of four out of five, I'm truly looking forward to the future works of Theatresauce, at the same time not forgetting the fear of arriving late to a play.
