Antigone: This Play I Read in High School (The Public Theater)

By Harry Forbes

Playwright Anna Ziegler reframes Sophocles’ Antigone through a feminist lens, yielding an absorbing drama with unmistakably contemporary urgency. In place of the original conflict—whether the heroine may bury her brother Polynices —Ziegler centers the story on bodily autonomy: Antigone (Susannah Perkins), daughter of Oedipus and Jocasta, defies her uncle Creon (Tony Shalhoub) over her decision to terminate a pregnancy resulting from her relationship with his son Haemon (Calvin Leon Smith).

Here, Creon is less tyrant than hesitant bureaucrat, insisting that Antigone must publicly repent or face a law that mandates death for the forbidden procedure—even if it means condemning his own niece. Haemon, along with Antigone’s dutiful sister Ismene (Haley Wong), argues passionately against such severity.

Ziegler establishes Antigone’s fierce independence early on, in a provocative flirty encounter with a bartender, Achilles (Ethan Dubin). From the outset, she is unwavering in her resolve. By the second act, having carried out her decision, she confronts Creon head-on, articulating her claim to bodily autonomy in stark, unflinching terms—after a backstreet clinic proprietor (Katie Kreisler) reveals the truth.

Framing the action is a contemporary figure known as “Chorus” (Celia Keenan-Bolger), a pregnant woman in her forties who becomes fascinated by a fellow airline passenger (also Perkins) reading Antigone. Long captivated by the mythic heroine, she searches for clarity about her own dilemma, linking the ancient narrative to present-day anxieties.

The second act is particularly charged, driven by a series of taut and lively confrontations—between Antigone and Creon, Antigone and Haemon, and Antigone and a comically unhinged palace guard (Dave Quay). These encounters give the play some of its strongest dramatic momentum.

The performances are uniformly solid. Perkins is compellingly resolute; Keenan-Bolger brings nuance to the conflicted observer; and Shalhoub captures Creon’s wavering authority with palpable unease. Kreisler, Quay, and Dubin double effectively in lighter roles as palace guards, providing moments of comic relief.

While this Antigone may not achieve the same imaginative heights as the current reworking of Oedipus uptown, it remains a thought-provoking and often persuasive reimagining. Ziegler’s fusion of ancient and modern worlds does not always cohere seamlessly, but it underscores the enduring relevance of Sophocles’ themes.

Director Tyne Rafaeli makes effective use of the former Anspacher’s intimate playing space, framed by three-sided stadium seating. The spare design by David Zinn keeps the focus on the actors, while Jen Schriever’s lighting adds texture and variety.

(Barbaralee Theater at The Public Theater, 425 Lafayette Street; publictheater.org; through April 12)

Photo by Joan Marcus: (l.-r.) Keenan-Bolger, Perkins