Antigone (Antaeus Theatre Company's 2026 Production) Theatre Review

Sophokles' play Antigone is approximately two thousand five hundred years old, yet its themes are as relevant today as they were the time it was written. And the idea of the word of a single man becoming law is especially striking in this country today, when an entire political system has bowed down before the desires of one thoroughly corrupt man. Antaeus Theatre Company concludes its 2025-2026 season with a new adaptation of the ancient Greek tragedy written by Kenneth Cavander and directed by Andy Wolk. It boasts a stellar cast, including Linda Park as Antigone, Tony Amendola as Kreon, Peter Mendoza as Haimon, Mildred Marie Langford as Ismene, John Apicella as Sentry 1, Kaci Hamilton as both Sentry 2 and Teiresias, and Ann Noble as Eurydike in a part greatly expanded from the original text. This adaptation moves the action from ancient Greece to a contemporary setting, a time just after a civil war. There are what appear to be bullet holes in parts of the wall of the set and other details that remind us that these people exist in precarious times, perhaps helping us better understand some of their actions.

As the play begins, there is the sound of a storm, and Antigone enters, wearing jeans and a hooded sweatshirt, the hood up, perhaps as much for secrecy as a brace against the elements. She exits almost as quickly, and so there is a sense of intrigue, a sense of urgency. The two sentries, dressed in army fatigues, then enter, and soon speak directly to the audience, acting as a sort of Chorus, providing some of the backstory. Later they provide some comic relief, as they engage in a game of Rock Paper Scissors to determine who will deliver some bad news to Kleon. John Apicella is particularly funny as he nervously stands before Kleon, having lost the game.

Because of Tony Amendola's tremendous performance, and because of the expanded role of Eurydike, who tempers her husband somewhat, we see Kleon in a different light in his first moments. We even feel for him, as someone who suddenly finds himself in a position of great power and wants to guide his country away from further chaos with a steady and strong hand. We learn that it was his idea that Antigones' brothers engage in a fight, and that he was surprised they accepted the idea. It's a small detail, perhaps, but it tells us that maybe he isn't as sure of himself as he'd like others to believe. And we see him as a politician, when, before his big speech to the populace, he shakes hands with several folks in the audience. When he delivers his speech, it is Antigone and Ismene who are in the audience, and so they become our voice, our conscience. And when Kleon tells us not to be afraid to report any threat to security, we can't help but think of our own society, and the way that notion has been pressed into our heads, from the seemingly benign, even helpful, "If you see something, say something" slogan, to people reporting possible immigrants out to the evil organization ICE. This speech establishes Kleon as the state, and Antigone and Ismene as citizens with different ways of responding to the abuses of that state.

Antigone is determined, against the decree of Kleon, to give her brother a proper burial, knowing it is the right thing to do. Ismene, her sister, discourages her, out of fear, from breaking the law, though she too acknowledges it is the right thing to do. This scene makes those in the audience turn inward and consider what they would do in such circumstances. Both Linda Park and Mildred Marie Langford are excellent here. Antigone takes her sister's hand when she encourages her to help, then lets go of her hand on "a disgrace to our whole family." And though each chooses a differection course of action (or inaction, as the case may be), the two still love each other, as is apparent later. This story is, in part, about familial obligations versus loyalty to the government.

The main piece of set dressing in this production is Kleon's desk, positioned stage right. On one side of the desk is his large desk chair, on the other side is a less comfortable-looking wooden chair. So it is clear how his position of authority is reflected in that. His son Haimon is discovered by Eurydike seated on Cleon's chair. Peter Mendoza (who did a wonderful job as Posthumus in last year's Cymbeline) delivers another strong performance here as Haimon, who, in addition to being son to Kleon, is betrothed to Antigone. It is clear how torn he is, feeling an obligation to his father and love for Antigone. Eurydike quickly sits Haimon down on the wooden chair and tries to school him on love. Kleon soon sits the Sentry on that same chair before questioning and threatening him.

As I mentioned, the part of Eurydike is expanded in this adaptation. In the original text, she appears only briefly near the end. But here she has a central role. She's played by Ann Noble, who was stunning as Richard III in the recent production of Shakespeare's play at A Noise Within, and also fantastic as Kate in last year's Corktown '39 at Rogue Machine. Here she is equally captivating. While the role Eurydike must play in society is the woman behind the man, she soon proves herself perhaps the more adept politician, offering her husband a solution that will allow him to do the right thing while also keeping his reputation secure. She speaks of bringing the country together, something that, coming from our own current situation, strikes us as nearly impossible, and so we don't hold out much hope. Of all the characters, Eurydike is the one who seems most adept at grasping the tenuousness of the situation. In a scene in which Kleon irrationally fears the return of Oedipus to seize power, Eurydike calms and comforts him, and we know that she shares the weight that is upon her husband, though is not offically in a position to do anything about it. And speaking of power, it is interesting that when Antigone has been arrested, she, even seated, seems to be the one in more control when speaking to Kleon. And that is because of her disposition, of the way she controls her voice. Kleon somehow has more fear than she does. 

The only character that seems perhaps a little out of place in a modern setting is Teiresias, the prophet who offers predictions without any fear of official reprisal, a prophet implicitly trusted by Eurydike. The character seems to come from another time, though Kaci Hamilton is completely mesmerizing in the role, dressed in a purple robe, with face covered. There is even a lighting change for the character's entrance, the stage bathed in reds. Though I have to admit that while I and most of the people I know are more skeptical, there are, even today, many people who believe in prophets, in prophecies. So maybe this character is not so distant from us after all.

There is a moment toward the end when Haimon enters wearing a hooded sweatshirt, with the hood up, just as Antigone did in the play's opening moments. And he exits just as quickly. It's a nice touch further showing the connection between those two characters. Another of the production's most striking moments is when Antigone enters the cave that will be her place of punishment, of imprisonment. What little light she has suddenly is gone, and we in the audience are also cast into darkness with her. So we suffer the same fear. Her breath is ours. It's an incredibly powerful and jarring moment. And the production's climax is especially poignant and powerful. It is, after all, a Greek tragedy. It's an excellent adaptation, performed by an absolutely brilliant cast, with something to say about the current world. 

This production of Antigone runs through June 15, 2026. Visit the theatre's website for the complete schedule. There is no intermission. Antaeus Theatre Company performs at Kiki & David Gindler Performing Arts Center, at 110 East Broadway in Glendale, California.

Shakespeare References in Her Only Sin

Benjamin Stein's novel Her Only Sin contains a few Shakespeare references. The first is a reference to The Tempest: "When we got to the final stanza, which ended with 'Alma Mater Queen,' the entire cheerleader squad suddenly materialized out of thin air behind the stage" (p. 43). The phrase "thin air" comes from Prospero's speech, "These our actors,/As I foretold you, were all spirits and/Are melted into air, into thin air." The other two references are to Romeo And Juliet. Benjamin Stein writes: "This was not a conversation between a Hollywood executive and a White House staffer. This was Romeo and Juliet in the White House solarium" (p. 88). And then: "Susan-Marie passed by the life-size blowups of movie stills from Republic's past - Joel McCrea and Ronald Reagan as cavalry officers. Joan Fontaine and James Cagney as star-crossed lovers" (p. 140).

Her Only Sin was published in 1985. The copy I read was a hardcover First Edition.

Shakespeare References in Slow Hand

Slow Hand: Women Writing Erotica, a collection of short stories edited by Michele Slung, contains a few Shakespeare references. The first comes in the introduction, and is a reference to The Tempest. Michele Slung writes, "Remembering all those times when unwashed hair, or a recalcitrant pimple, or an unwished-for five pounds seemed to stand between me and the enjoyment I might take from a kiss, and always sensing the unfairness of it, but accepting it, nonetheless, as the set of rules from which to operate, I appreciated at once the sea change these stories represented" (pages xvi-xvii). The phrase "sea change" comes from Ariel's song in the first act. He sings, "Nothing of him that doth fade/But doth suffer a sea change/Into something rich and strange." Then Barbara Gowdy's story "Ninety-Three Million Miles Away" contains a reference to Romeo And Juliet: "A consoling line from Romeo and Juliet played in her head: 'He that is stricken blind cannont forget the precious treasure of his eyesight lost'" (p. 61). It is a line that Romeo says to Benvolio in the first act. Each story has a short author's note at its end, and the note to Sara Davidson's "The Wager" contains a reference to The Taming Of The Shrew: "The fantasy in this piece is that archetypal one best dramatized in The Taming of the Shrew - where a strong woman resists with everything in her arsenal and yet is overcome by the cunning of the male" (p. 98). Liz Clarke's "Reasons Not To Go To Fort Lauderdale" contains a Macbeth reference: "When the phone rang at 1:30 that morning I was in the kitchen, gathered with Gabe and Patricia around a bubbling vat of chickpeas like the three witches in Macbeth" (p. 122).

Slow Hand: Women Writing Erotica was published in 1992. The copy I read was a First Edition.

Shakespeare References in Reel Power

Mark Litwak's book on the film industry, Reel Power, contains a paragraph with references to King Lear, Shakespeare and Romeo And Juliet: "I said, 'Well he is playing it as a sort of King Learian tragedy.' The agent replied, 'Ah, but Shakespeare is hot now.' This was when Zeffirelli was doing Romeo and Juliet" (p. 58).

Reel Power was published in 1986. The copy I read was a hardcover first edition.

Shakespeare References in Writing The Romantic Comedy

Billy Mernit's book Writing The Romantic Comedy:The Art And Craft Of Writing Screenplays That Sell contains quite a few Shakespeare references, though a good number of them are simply references to the movie Shakespeare In Love. In fact, the first line of the introduction mentions that movie: "Three of the biggest box office successes of the past few years - Shakespeare in Love, There's Something About Mary, and Runaway Bride - are among a slew of recent movies that demonstrate the remarkable staying power of romantic comedy" (p. ix). It is next mentioned in the first chapter: "Though Shakespeare in Love has been justly praised for its wordplay, what many people remember from it isn't a line, but a moment of visual poetry: a luminescent Viola spinning round and round as her poet/playwright lover joyfully unwinds for the first time the cloth that's been binding her femininity" (pages 6-7). It's mentioned again soon after that: "Romantic comedy often offers dual points of view (e.g. the fairly even split in Shakespeare and You've Got Mail)" (p. 9). A little later in the chapter, the author compares Analyze This and Shakespeare in Love: "And isn't Shakespeare more about how the Bard found his Muse and the love of his life?" (p. 12). And then: "But excise Gwyneth Paltrow from Shakespeare in Love, and you'd really have to change its title to Shakespeare" (p. 12). And: "Every subplot in Shakespeare in Love stems from the love affair between Will and Viola. The show goes on only because they go on; their passion fuels every conflict" (p. 12). And: "Thus in Shakespeare in Love, Will and Viola's involvement leads to his completing a masterpiece that stars her; when they're forced apart, both their happiness and the success of his play are jeopardized, but their onstage reunion, however brief, makes Romeo and Juliet a smash and their love immortal" (p. 13). Shakespeare in Love is included in the list of period romantic comedies (p. 25). It is mentioned again a little later: "Mark Norman and Tom Stoppard's costumed tour de farce Shakespeare in Love" (p. 48). And then: "Harry and Sally, Annie Hall and Alvy, Shakespeare and Viola, Michael Dorsey and Julie, Loretta Castorini and Ronny Cammareri - all of these memorable romantic comedy twosomes have at least one important thing in common: we care about them" (p. 53). And then: "More recently, Shakespeare in Love ended with a skillfully crafted, emotionally resonant compromise. In Viola's playing Juliet opposite Will's Romeo during the play's premiere, they enact the symbolic peak and pinnacle of their relationship. This resolution gives way to a poignant parting, suggesting a metaphorical 'ever after': from here to eternity Will and his muse will be united as she lives on in the heroines of his subsequent plays. It's a sad victory - a joyful defeat" (p. 117). And: "Shakespeare in Love's midpoint, a montage sequence following Will and Viola's first lovemaking, melds exterior action and inner emotions in a seamless blend of life and art, as Will and Viola's love fuels the creation of Romeo and Juliet. From the unbinding of Viola in her bedroom to the dual nurses (real nurse and actor nurse) calling the lovers from both bed and stage at the sequence's end, it's the essence of the movie in microcosm" (p. 119). And still more: "Shakespeare in Love, for example, hits some beats right on the nose, while doubling up and reconfiguring others" (p. 122). And: "Oscar-winning Shakespeare in Love is certainly proof that viewers will happily buy into the most incredible of contrivances" (p. 126). And: "Marc Norman, the original writer on Shakespeare in Love, started out with the idea of showing Will in his 'upstart crow' days, just as he was getting his foothold in the world of Elizabethan theater. Even before eventual cowriter Tom Stoppard (a Brit steeped in theatrical lore) signed on, American Norman did his homework and found the very linchpin of his plot, born of a simple historical fact: women were not allowed on the stage in 1585" (pages 126-127). And there's this: "In its opening scene, Shakespeare in Love immediately establishes that it's a farce by playing a situation that involves real, physical pain for laughs. Theater owner Henslowe is having his feet burned by an annoyed backer, Fennyman, but Henslowe's pathetic, crazed wheeling and dealing, as well as Fennyman's malicious indifference, takes the emphasis off the scene's pain and peril - as does the very fast turnaround that occurs when Henslowe saves his hide by bartering Will Shakespeare's new comedy. 'Romeo and Ethel the Pirate's Daughter,' he offers. 'Good title,' says Fennyman, and Henslowe is released" (p. 129). And: "Like Viola's mustache in Shakespeare" (p. 135). And: "Thus Shakespeare in Love, as we've noted, establishes a tone that encompasses both farce and speedy verbal wit in its opening minutes" (p. 155). And: "hero and/or heroine may well end up alone (Shakespeare in Love, My Best Friend's Wedding)" (p. 250). Shakespeare in Love is included in some lists at the end of the book, including Romantic Comedy Winners of "Best Picture" Academy Award and Romantic Comedy Winners Of "Best Screenplay" Academy Award.

There is a reference to my a phrase from my favorite speech from Macbeth: "What's the signficance - the meaning behind all your digital sound and fury?" (p. 6). The line from Shakespeare's play reads, "It is a tale/Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury./Signifying nothing." A Midsummer Night's Dream is also mentioned: "The paradigm for this form (a central couple's conflicts are echoed, contrasted, or parodied through one or more supporting couples) can be found in Shakespeare's ensemble comedies (Midsummer Night, etc.)" (p. 19). There is also this: "from Hugh Grant's diffident persona to Joe Fiennes's Shakespearian fire and poetry" (p. 61). And we get another Macbeth reference: "Working in a medium where getting the butts in the seats and keeping them there is the seeming be-all and end-all, writers agonize over the proper act breaks and plot points" (p. 107). Macbeth says, "that but this blow/Might be the be-all and the end-all." There is also another reference to A Midsummer Night's Dream: "The course of true love, no matter how mysterious or magical it may be in its particulars, has some predictable way stations" (p. 108). That's a play on Lysander's famous line, "The course of true love never did run smooth." The book also contains a reference to Julius Caesar: "No, the fault - to paraphrase Shakespeare, who excelled at such material - lies not with our stars, but with ourselves" (p. 206). The line, as Cassius says it, is "The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars,/But in ourselves, that we are underlings." The next reference is to Hamlet, with Billy Mernit writing: "Brevity's the soul of wit, and overlong, overwritten screenplays don't sell" (p. 234). Polonius says to Claudius, "Therefore, since brevity is the soul of wit,/And tediousness the limbs and outward flourishes,/I will be brief." There is another reference to Romeo And Juliet: "The unlikely but star-crossed lovers do go into their clinch at the end" (p. 249). There is also this reference to Shakespeare: "It may not be Shakespeare, but it's good enough for me" (p. 253).

Writing The Romantic Comedy: The Art And Craft Of Writing Screenplays That Sell was published in 2000. 

Shakespeare References in 100 Monologues

The book 100 Monologues: An Audition Sourcebook From New Dramatists, edited by Laura Harrington, contains a few Shakespeare references. The first is to Hamlet, and it comes in a monologue from Nightcoil by Jeffrey M. Jones. In fact, nearly the entire monologue is an attempt to recall Hamlet's most famous soliloquy. "To be, or something-or-other" (p. 141), and continues from there. (See photos below.)

There is a brief description of the character before each monologue, and in the description before the monologue from Dick D. Zigun's Red Letter Days, two of Shakespeare's characters are referred to: "This is a monologue for a man or woman playing a pagan spirit like Ariel or Puck with an ethical standard deviant from those held by warm-blooded humans" (p. 237). Ariel is a character from The Tempest, while Puck comes from A Midsummer Night's Dream. Then at the end of the book there is a list of playwrights with a bit of information on each. Among the plays listened under John Guare's name is Two Gentlemen Of Verona (p. 247),  which is a rock musical based on Shakespeare's play of the same name. I hope I can see a performance of that one at some point. And the list of plays under Allan Rieser's name includes one titled The Merry Wives of Scarsdale (p. 252), its title obviously a play on Shakespeare's The Merry Wives Of Windsor.

This book was published in 1989.

Shakespeare References in Star Trek Memories

It is certainly not surprising to find Shakespeare references in William Shatner's Star Trek Memories, a book he wrote with Chris Kreski. Star Trek has always been strangely, wonderfully connected to Shakespeare. In fact, several of the references in this book come in the episode titles from the show. And William Shatner had done some Shakespeare before being cast in Star Trek. The book's first reference is to Shakespeare himself: "With all that in mind, it becomes conceivable that even if Shakespeare himself were to rise from the dead, dig himself out of his grave and hop a transatlantic Concorde to L.A., showing up in the William Morris offices with TV spec script in hand, he'd most likely be turned away at the lobby" (pages 15-16). The next reference is to Hamlet: "However, by 1964 Desilu had suffered the slings and arrows of Lucy and Desi's divorce, and also the irrational but somehow enduring stigma attached to that particular pairing of names" (p. 37). The phrase "slings and arrows" comes from Hamlet's most famous soliloquy. Then we get a reference to Macbeth: "He and his assistants now labored over a green vatful of viscous liquid mumbling to themselves and appearing not unlike Macbeth's three witches. Finally, after adding some unusual ingredients into the mix (Eye of newt? A bit of dragon's blood? Who knows?), they once again came up with a bright green batch of new improved paste" (p. 68). There is another reference to Hamlet's famous speech: "likeable professional who somehow managed to suffer every one of the unavoidable slings and arrows of network television without ever losing perspective or his formidable sense of humor" (p. 83). There is another Hamlet reference, this time not related to that beloved soliloquy: "All of this was truly odd for me because I'd never felt this sort of jealousy before. I was always for 'the team,' and 'the peace' and 'the play's the thing,' so these new feelings caught me totally off guard" (p. 264). The phrase "the play's the thing" comes from Hamlet's famous lines at the end of Act II: "The play's the thing/Wherein I'll catch the conscience of the King." The end of that line would serve as an episode title for the series, and that's mentioned in this book, along with an episode titled "Dagger Of The Mind," which comes from a line in Macbeth. Shatner writes: "For example, Grace was to have co-starred with Captain Kirk in our eleventh episode, 'Dagger of the Mind,' but her deterioration forced Roddenberry and Justman into a decision to rewrite the episode, adding the guest character of Dr. Helen Noel and entirely deleting Yeoman Rand. Further, in Grace's final episode, 'The Conscience of the King,' her performance consisted solely of walking onto the bridge in the background of the scene, taking a quick look at a particular piece of equipment, then exiting" (p. 283). The "Dagger of the Mind" episode is again mentioned on pages 359 and 360. One of the book's chapters is titled "To Stay Or Not To Stay" (p. 285), obviously a play on Hamlet's "To be or not to be." Another episode title is "By Any Other Name," a reference to the bad quarto of Romeo And Juliet, that episode mentioned on page 316. The correct line (in both the second quarto and the First Folio) is "a rose by any other word." Another episode is titled "All Our Yesterdays," a phrase that comes from my favorite speech in all of Shakespeare's work, Macbeth's "Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow" speech, in which Macbeth says "And all our yesterdays have lighted fools/The way to dusty death." That episode is mentioned on pages 364, 365 and 371.

Star Trek Memories was published in 1993. My copy is the paperback edition from July 1994.