It was literally, the last day of its run: Anne Carson’s adaption of the final play of Sophocles Theban Cycle, mostly commonly known as Antigone but here called Antigonick.

If you’ve read my blog at all, you know that I have read a great deal of Anne Carson and like most of her work. This play actually premiered in DC, but I wasn’t able to see it, so I am so excited that I finally had the opportunity to see it as the Victory Gardens Theater.

The whole play was run through in this production and then, once it was over, it started over again, but with actor’s switching roles.

Antigone became the chorus, Kreon became Antigone, Euridike became Kreon, etc., etc., etc. The gender switching, but more importantly, the different readings, gave very different views of the same dialogue. It was like getting the chance to go back in time to change things yet, despite making changes to the past, watch it slide inexorably to the same tragic present.

I went with a friend and while we there, I thought, oh no! I’ve dragged him to my kind of thing and he’s going to hate this! But he loved it, so I have some support when I say it was awesome.