Antigone (Classical Theatre of Harlem) NYC Reviews and Tickets
Show-Score Member Reviews (12)
See it if You like Greek tragedy applied to the modern idiom and updated. This production takes the play's essence and condenses it into the present.
Don't see it if If you do not like Greek tragedy or prefer to see it in its pure form. You will be missing something excellent.
See it if You like modern twists on classic plays or are tired of paying Broadway prices for your entertainment
Don't see it if You're looking for a classic production of the play
See it if you like modernized classics made relevant to our times; want to see great young performers in a terrific set
Don't see it if you would be disappointed in that this abbreviated version of a complicated, classic play is only one hour long Read more
See it if you enjoy excellent performances, great production values and keeps your attention even though its a greek tragedy.
Don't see it if you don't like classic plays set in the future.
See it if Bring your kids. Bring your pretentious theatergoing sister. Bring your boyfriend who is sure he will hate it. All will be entertained.
Don't see it if A bit of a stretch to try to wrap this story around current events but- visually stunning,spectacular dancing, fully accessible dialogue.
See it if you've never been to a CTH summer show. You'll wonder why you didn't know that such high-quality theater was happening for free in Harlem.
Don't see it if you don't have patience for a show that is overtly connected to modern political issues. Also, Antigone's performance is a bit one-note. Read more
See it if Ambitious production, with impressive set, music, choreography and costumes. Some strong dramatic moments.
Don't see it if Attempts to accomplish too much in 60 minutes with awkward comic elements in a serious drama. Overreaching politically.
See it if Video recording of 2018's live performance; still vivid & potent esp since heightened BLM movement Cofield's staging still strongest asset
Don't see it if Acting remains overwrought but video's consistent long focus alleviates effects somewhat Camera work wisely accentuates dynamic choreography
Critic Reviews (5)
"A brisk and very handsome staging...Directed with admirable clarity by Carl Cofield...Devoted to atmospherics, this production prioritizes complexly layered design over dramatic cohesion. Some of the play’s meaning is lost with what this slender, hourlong show leaves out...Yet even with these shortcomings, the ritual of the whole — with the music of a crooning chorus and the movement of a flock of five dancers — does bring catharsis."
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"For all its seriousness of intent, this 'Antigone' is not some grim, eat-your-spinach night at the classics. It is free, an hour long and a summer-evening delight...Director Carl Cofield knows that Sophocles’ intensity will land strangely on our ears, so he sometimes redirects it into humor... Jones is extraordinary...He finds a way to make us spare a thought for Creon, a man trying to rebuild a city from blocks that turn to dust in his hands."
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“A vividly contemporary twist on a Sophoclean tragedy...This production sometimes seems eerily in sync with our strange times...This is an 'Antigone' more rooted in melodrama than tragedy, focusing less on the price she pays with her life and more on the fireworks that occur when the status quo is challenged...This is a tense, involving drama presented with a highly theatrical flourish and with something to say about the debased state of our democracy.”
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"While linking 'Antigone' to movements such as Black Lives Matter might seem slightly tenuous, those echoes of current controversies about police brutality turn the play into a passionate cry for justice...Less successful are a series of Afropunk-style dance interludes that replace the traditional tragic chorus. These numbers are themselves finely choreographed but feel incidental...But Cofield and his cast get the main thing right by making classical tragedy seem fresh and eternal."
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“Familiar images of mourning and protest make clear the relevance and importance of this powerful play...Though the performances are uneven, there are some stellar moments...Inspired by Paul Roche’s adaptation, the added moments of colloquial dialogue connect us to the material (many times with humor) and make the relationships clearer...There is something special about sitting under the stars and sharing an evening of compelling theatre with an energetic, New York audience."
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