Antigone 1989: A Town Hall Musical plucks Sophocles’ heroine from ancient Greece and plops her down in California in 1989. A sultry Oracle (Helena Padial) in knee high stiletto boots sets the scene. Tig (Emmalyn Bruce) is in mourning for her brother Nikolos (Jonah Uffelman), killed in a protest on the capitol steps. In honour of his memory, she decides to tag him, creeping out to the city walls under cover of night. Calvin (Trevor Hudson) has just banned anything that disrupts civil order, on pain on death. Her sister Issa (Sierra Safran) attempts to get her acquitted in court. Calvin’s son, Henry (Elliot Choate) pleads for her pardon. But he has a secret of his own.

The story is largely told through song by a vocally accomplished cast. There’s some dialogue, but it’s principally the musical numbers that propel the narrative forward. There are some really catchy, foot-tappy numbers (Chris Rayis). And some that sound a bit more flung together, leaving the singers dashing along in their wake.

The updating of the original story (Ken Cerniglia) – the tagging rather than burying of the dead brother – means the stakes never feel quite as high as for the original Antigone. If the story – and the insertion of a new love story – are being used to share a message about inclusion, this may be a deliberate decision. But the net effect is a somewhat jumbled narrative, and even the talented cast’s enthusiasm occasionally seems to wane.

The concept has the audience as the citizenry, making them complicit in the thin form of justice served up by the charismatic Calvin. At one point, we’re handed flyers as a reminder that protest is banned but that’s the extent of our involvement offering lovely scope in future versions for the audience to pronounce on Tig’s fate.

Lovers of the original may find this re-staging a bit too much of a stretch but there’s lots in here that’s great. The closing song, ‘My One Voice’, is a lyrical, lovely call for inclusion. It would be great to see the script evolve with a clearer focus. There’s no question that a show about the personal repercussions of civic protest is perfectly prescient both back home in the US for this group from Elon University and on their temporary home soil this Fringe.

Antigone 1989: A Town Hall Musical is at Other Yin at Gilded Balloon Patter House until Sat 29 Aug 2026