Antigone, produced by Sansriti and directed by Debesh Chattopadhyay, reveals two truths — one, classics continue to remain arguably the best vehicle to convey contemporary concerns and, two, the less classics are subjected to whimsical interpretative experiments the better they work. Debesh Chattopadhyay turns to the timeless Sophoclean masterpiece to search in theatre for a stirring expression of the massive surge of raw angst in Bengali civil society in the wake of the R.G. Kar tragedy. Chattopadhyay’s Antigone, while remaining Sophoclean at its core, infallibly communicates some of the key concerns that the R.G. Kar movement had thrown up, especially bringing into sharp focus the cavernous rift that had emerged between the polity and the people.
Chattopadhyay’s trademark mastery over scenography is strikingly evident in the lighting scheme and the large palace-like structure with columns and stairs. Criss-crossing light is made to slant at sharp angles onto the characters from the top, underlining the clash of conflicting ideologies. The cyclorama is predominantly the eternal blue of the sky, signifying the ageless persistence of the clash between Statist control and individual rights. As Creon and Antigone debate their perspectives, the stairs allow them to attain varying heights, visually mapping the crests and the troughs of the argument. The idea to have the imposing palatial structure lit up from inside at crucial moments is an inspired one as it indicates the essential hollowness of power and the blue-and-white colour scheme is an unmistakable dig at the vaunting of authority by the current political disposition in Bengal.
Debshankar Halder as Creon and Turna Das as Antigone turn in genuinely memorable performances. The more than half an hour section in which the two protagonists engage in a vigorous battle of ideas is crafted almost in the manner of a waltz piece, with Halder and Das pitting their formidable acting prowesses, prodding, provoking, and pushing each other to bring out their very best, much to the delight of
the audience.
