Walking into Belvoir Upstairs theatre on Wednesday night, I was haunted by some childhood memories. Firstly of school assemblies and dancing competitions in the local community hall, secondly of the dull fluorescent lights in my old orthodontist. This was because walking into the theatre that is literally what lies before the audience. A community hall - complete with parquetry floors, water stained ceiling, bulky air-conditioning ducts, fire extinguishers and green exit signs – has taken up residence at Belvoir. Once I had gotten over my surprise at this fact, I had to do another double take. This was the set for Antigone, Sophocles’ ancient tragedy, apparently. Immediately I knew Director Chris Kohn was determined to take the text into the realms of the contemporary and I was intrigued. This new Antigone, with a 90 minute re-energised script from Seamus Heaney, is definitely a fresh take, yet far from a successful venture.

Kohn has some solid artistic choices to stand on. Deborah Mailman is a dignified and compelling Antigone, the classic and meaty role of a woman condemned for wanting to bury her brother with nobility he deserves. The man determined to leave her brother’s body above ground for the vultures is her uncle, Creon, played by Boris Radmilovich. Creon is a man thrust into political power by a range of unfortunate events (remember Antigone is Oedipus’ daughter, who unwittingly married his own mother – and that’s just the start). The central struggle of the play is fought out between these two, Antigone for what she believes is basic human rights and Creon, for upholding the law and ignoring the will of Antigone and the gods. The characters are doomed from the start and will suffer the whole way through. Kohn’s direction ensures that we never witness the melodramatic wailing that so often befalls such ancient works. The performances are measured and move with a modern pace.

Pacharo Mzembe makes a formidable debut in his role as the guard who is the unfortunate bearer of bad news, bringing heart and humour to a small role. Paul Blackwood is perfectly placed as the Chorus (and a very recent addition to the cast), showing civil desperation for wrongs to be righted. Katie Fitchett shows beautiful frailty in her role as Ismene, a young woman unable to summon the courage of her sister. Hazem Shammas’ performance as Haemon is the clear struggle of a man bound to, but forcibly against his father’s principles. James Saunders largely performs in ensemble roles yet brings a weighted sadness to his role as the final messenger. This ensemble works hard to maintain the pace of the piece, in which there is very little action and much talk of major events. The two late appearances of Gillian Jones as Creon’s wife and the blind prophet Tieresias are short and enthralling. In simply walking onstage to hear the news of her son’s death, and exiting straight after, she almost steals the show. This is the kind of contemporary, understated reimagining of the original characters and their plight that works.

Unfortunately, given these strong performances, there are too many elements of Kohn’s production that simply do not match their standard. Radmilovich as Creon is questionable casting. His performance does not capture the rashness of Creon’s decisions and the weight of his undoing. Radmilovich’s faltering on quite a few lines did not aid his portrait of a man doggedly and tragically wrong in his judgement.
Although, the main and incredibly jarring issue is that of the production design. Kohn’s reasoning behind setting the piece in a community hall (the meticulous set care of Dale Ferguson), is parallel to the original text being set in a public sphere exploring private issues. It’s an interesting and modern rationale, but it simply doesn’t work. I spent most of the performance trying to work out what the point of the design was, trying to not lose focus of the actors. Half of the actors look like they have been to the op shop for their costumes, whilst Antigone and Ismene wear gaudy green dresses. Creon wears a white singlet and a fistful of chunky rings, looking the least part a King. In fact the whole effect is as if we are watching the rehearsal of a community theatre production of Antigone (except that in this case the actors are magnificent). I was not the only audience member expecting something to come of this very different setup and being severely disappointed. Only when Jones’ Tieresias enters the stage do the set and lighting effects complement and enhance the mood of the piece. It is a risky decision by Kohn, and in this case the design did not support the performances.

For the first time in a while, Belvoir seems to have diverted from their string of successes. Although fuelled by a talented cast, this Antigone does not achieve all that it attempts.