Antigone Reviews

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KWP's Antigone

A Multi-Author Review

Reviews by El'ad Nichols-Kaufman '25, Max Anton '23, Megli Micek '23, Wyatt Sweeney '23, Cooper Ussery '23, Elias Christian '22, Ellie Laabs '22, and Hannah Rose '22, photos by Liz Dowdy and Rose Zhang

Maya Lake's Ismene

Maya Lake

Maya Lake is the first actress onstage in KWP’s Antigone, walking solemnly along the edge of the Boathouse balcony – at the edge of Thebes – silent, placid, awaiting the arrival of her sister. Regal features set with an implacable, if not somehow sad expression – a picture of perfect poise – Lake’s Ismene provided a strong contrast to Kammeyer’s Antigone. A part of this contrast was evident in the costuming: Antigone dressed in the dark colors of mourning and deep earth, feet rag-strapped; Ismene attired in the airy, undisturbed white of impartiality. But the differences between the two owed itself more to Lake’s performance, which deftly handled these nuances and these gravities in the character. Conveying the sense of tensely well-mastered emotions, Lake exuded an Ismene who is desperate to feel pure and is resolutely certain that this purity lies in following the law of her city. She chooses loyalty to the State as the mechanism for forgiveness, rather than the gods, and to the individual rather than her family. Where Antigone, who cannot forget, is graceful and honest in all her active raging, Ismene is graceful but duplicitous in her silence. Lake bore the proud face of an Ismene who desires so much to let the history of her family’s passions die with her brothers yet struggles to witness her sister choose another path toward what both sisters believe is redemption.

With noble subtlety, Lake’s Ismene brings greater depth and insight into Sophocles’. She reminds us that Ismene wasn’t simply Antigone’s lesser sister but a tragic figure, indeed the last remaining child of the curse of Oedipus, beneath whose still waters runs a deeper turmoil and conflict. She stands stately – almost royally, – one who may in fact, after Creon’s fall, become the new Queen of Thebes.

—Elias Christian '22

Jordan Kaymmeyer's Antigone

Jordan Kaymmeyer

Ms. Kammeyer portrayed Antigone as a sure-footed, if sometimes petulant, youth, desperately trying to hold her own in an uncongenial world. Her speech was precise and clear and, in this alone, she lent a certain bite to her character. Her movements were graceful, yet weighty. As she strode across the stage, it felt as though her Antigone had already submitted to the fact that she is in a tragedy and cannot escape her fate. Her scenes with Creon stuck out in particular, as Ms. Kammeyer adopted a lawyeristic style of argument. She let the logos of the text speak for itself, not lending too much emotion to Antigone’s pleas. It was refreshing to see an Antigone unfettered by her own tragedy, forcefully espousing her ideals, and ready to accept the consequences.

—Ellie Laabs '22

Birdi Mueller's Messenger

Birdi Mueller

KWP's production of Antigone was an absolute sensation of a show. Featuring talent from every class of the college, the production was stark and captivating from the first moment Ismene and Antigone converse. In a cast so tremendously talented, each actor brought to the fore a tremendous range, and each displayed their artistry impeccably, though I will confess that I was particularly captivated by the performance of Ms. Birdi Mueller (A23). Her Messenger appeared with the presence and candor of Charlie Chaplain at his prime, complete with dingy black bowler hat and comically exaggerated features. She immediately took command of the stage with an affable and expressive air that complemented the message her character was impelled to relay to Mr. James Siranovich’s Creon. The timing and command of her movements, both facially and spatially, made the stories she told come alive, with seamless transitions into and out of the narrative as she coaxed sympathy from the audience in its telling. A gripping raconteur, she brought the universe of the story to life on the stage; perhaps no greater testament to her mastery of timing existed than the frequency of the audience’s laughter, and the building tension of the narratives.

Even in her much more dour later appearances, she continued to possess the piety essential to the human condition. She guided the audience’s sorrow by humanizing the clown she’d created in the first act, and ensured that those present didn’t have to endure an archetype. Her sensitivity and receptiveness to the rest of the cast gave her character an unexpected depth and awakened the power of her lines from the page. Watching her perform was a demonstration of the heights theater at St. John’s can reach, and I for one cannot wait to see what character she vivifies before an audience next.

—Wyatt Sweeney 23'

James Siranovich's Creon

James Siranovich

Although masterfully acted by Mr. Siranovich, I couldn’t help but feel that this production’s portrayal of Creon limited both the character and the actor. To be sure, some aspects of Creon’s essential character shone through; Mr. Siranovich embodied the spirit of the general, mercurial and commanding, barking orders and haranguing Ms. Mueller’s excellent Messenger in turn. Nonetheless, something about this interpretation of Creon felt like a bit of a let-down. Certain moments throughout the tragedy were played for laughs, which is certainly a respectable decision but which both diminished the import of Mr. Siranovich’s dramatic chops and made it difficult to take Creon’s character seriously. The ruler of Thebes can be childish at times, but when Mr. Siranovich crossed his arms and stamped his feet, I couldn’t help but feel a bit put upon. Creon is a terrifying figure, not because he is short-sighted or immature, but because he is powerful and all the more dangerous for it. Using Mr. Siranovich’s excellent tragic range, demonstrated particularly in the astonishing final scene of the play, to play what came across at times as a caricature of a silly, out-oftouch leader with no idea what his people want or need, just didn’t do justice to either the character or the actor.

—Cooper Ussery '23

Alex Calk's Haemon

Alex Calk

Upon my first rather cursory reading of Antigone, I did not take much note of the youth of Haemon. On my second reading, here at St. John’s, I still missed much of his significance. Alex Calk, however, did not, and in a masterful performance, expressed youthful purity and passion in both speech and manner. Calk’s portrayal of the rapid unraveling of Haemon’s relation with Creon was direct, with the shift from quiet reasoning to impassioned argument appearing so natural that the viewer could not help but feel a strong mixture of admiration and pity. —El'ad Nichols-Kaufman '25

The Costume and the Stage

Antigone was performed in the Hodson Boathouse

The stage and costume design was impeccable—every detail was in conversation with each other. As darkness fell around the boathouse, the lighting on the stage paralleled the drama of Antigone throughout the duration of the play. Also, Antigone and Ismene’s rustic/earth toned costumes drew from the natural adornments on stage, while Kreon, Euridice, Haemon and the Messenger all wore costumes that reflected their places as members of the hegemony of Thebes; Kreon, in his red velvet suit, provideds a particularlythe starkest contrast with Antigone’s simple linen dress and bandaged feet. The contrast of styles, so essential to this play of contrasts, was united beautifully in the details—even the show'sshows programs showcased this attention to detail in each unique leaflet. Overall, theis production was absolutely gorgeous, and the design elements did a fantastic job of tying the drama together.

—Max Anthon '23

Joseph Richard's Tiresias

Joseph Richard

Brief though his time on stage may have been, Joseph Richard’s Tiresias, dignified in rags, was an impactful presence. As foil to the tempestuous finery of Creon, his appearance felt grounding to the production without being incongruous. Barefoot, wavering, and understated, Mr. Richard repurposed his usual thousand-yard stare to give the impression of total blindness. A well-modulated voice lent his performance of extreme old age an astonishingly natural character; if the lack of his customary Chelsea boots wasn’t enough to render him unrecognizable to the audience, the skillful vocal acting surely completed the transformation. Even through a range of emotional expression, the consistency of his portrayal never faltered. All in all: subtle, balanced, emotive, striking.

—Hannah Rose '22

Alayna Raymond, Lysithia Page, and John Hollowed as The Chorus

Alayna Raymond, Lysithia Page, and John Hollowed

The Chorus of Antigone entering the stage in all black robes and painted faces made for an ominous introduction. Their makeup exaggerated their expressions and with the help of their dance-like movements, something spiritual came across from their performance. Each actor was convincing and enthralling to watch. Even when they were silent, I caught myself watching their reactions to the arguments between Creon and the other characters. Overall, the Chorus did an amazing job creating a foreboding aura throughout their time on stage.

—Megli Micek '23