Antiya's sister, Esmeh, is being denied citizenship after fleeing the country at 14 years old to join the Islamic State in Syria. Antiya, despairing at the government's unwillingness to reconsider and frantic for the safety of her sister and nephew, embarks on a public hunger strike to draw attention to what she feels is a great injustice. Home Secretary Creighton stands his ground and battles with the balance of politics and nuance, in particular considering his relationship with his son, Eammon. The twist: every audience member holds a device to vote on questions throughout the evening - our choices can change the outcome of what should be a foretold fate; or can they?


This piece of theatre is innovative, exciting, and potently relevant. The concept is fantastic, and with some development of certain aspects of its execution, this could be the next must-see London fixture! 
Alexander Raptotasios' script, a little too expositional in places, is largely great, though we occasionally get lost in more monologuing sections. The overlaying of press snippets is particularly effective (directed brilliantly by Raptotasios himself), evoking the relatable feeling of media overwhelm. However, it is difficult to articulate what is lacking because the overall message of the play isn't clear. For instance, the writing sets up a very biased depiction of the state (bad) vs the people (good) - if this is a deliberate ploy to manipulate the audience into making certain decisions (as, without spoiling too much, is suggested later on), this should be revealed more clearly. If, alternatively, the point is actually to challenge people's views wherever they stand on the political spectrum, we crave a more nuanced depiction of each argument, making the overall questions around moral decision-making and right and wrong far more challenging. This, too, extends to some of the questions posed which are very limited in their clarity - again, possibly intentional, but if that's the case then the impact of this is not given its appropriate due. 

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In keeping with the rushed feel of the piece in general, the direction is overwhelmingly too fast-paced - at times, this works really well, but we are often left wanting for pauses to take in the moments on stage, in particular at the close of scenes. Vittoria Belli's video content works brilliantly, and the way the stage is literally covered in media most of the time is hugely effective.

Marco Turcich's set is simplistic yet innovative in its design - the only drawback being that the positioning of performers occasionally obstructs the audience (especially those in the front row, lower to the ground) from being as visually engaged as they should be. 


It is a shame that we don't connect emotionally with the two sisters - Anti starts to come into her own towards the end of the piece, but by then we are already too far removed. Sorcha Brooks is brilliantly robotic as our AI companion throughout the piece, and Ali Hadji-Heshmati gives a beautiful performance as Eammon. Phil Cheadle wows with his uncanny portrayals of broadcast journalist and cold, calculating Creighton, though we just long to see a bit more of a difference between public Creighton and the man at home. 


Overall, an affecting and challenging play, Antigone [on strike] runs at Park Theatre until 22nd February. 


Review: Penny Lane            Photos: Nir Segal