From left, Joe Wilson Jr. as Theristes, Fred Sullivan Jr. as Creon and Angela Brazil as Ismene in The Dreams of Antigone.

Mark Turek

It may be 2,500 years old, but Sophocles’ Antigone still speaks to us today, especially when it comes in the contemporized package that Curt Columbus has put together for the opening of the Trinity Rep season.

Columbus’ The Dreams of Antigone, which opened in the downstairs theater this week, is a thoughtful look at governmental authority and what happens when you stand up to it, a subject that never seems to lose its relevance. It’s written in language that’s as accessible as it is poetic.

At the same time, the play, which is set in the ruins of a Greek theater under renovation, clings to old conventions. The actors tend to stand around declaring their intentions rather than acting them out à la Arthur Miller or Tennessee Williams. We learn about Antigone’s fate only second hand, rather than see the climax of this drama play out before us.

That took away from the dramatic punch of the show, which clocks in at about 85 minutes. It tends to be a little talky.

It’s not always clear either when we’re looking at dream sequences, which pop up now and then.

What Columbus, Trinity’s creative head, has fashioned is a play that pretty much involves the entire company, a play that showcases the theater’s most precious asset. The most notable name missing from the cast of a dozen is Brian McEleney, who was assigned to direct.

At heart, this is a rather direct retelling of the Antigone story, about the strong-willed daughter of Oedipus, who goes against King Creon, her uncle. Antigone’s two brothers Eteocles and Polyneices were to have ruled Thebes jointly after their father relinquished the throne. They were to govern in alternating years, but when Eteocles refused to hand over the reins of power to Polyneices, Polyneices wages war against his brother. Both are killed in a battle that is staged high atop rolling scaffolding. Afterward, Creon declares Polyneices a traitor and decrees that he not be buried, that he be left out in the elements to rot.

But feisty Antigone won’t hear of that kind of treatment. She disobeys the edict and she pays a price. Just as in its ancient Greek model, things don’t end well for Antigone.

Actually, one of the nicest things about this production is Tristan Jeffers’ evocative set. Jeffers has come up with an environment that spans both the old and the new. The stage has been transformed into the ancient ruins of a Greek amphitheater, but one undergoing modern-day renovations. We see weathered columns and bits of relief on the back wall, along with staging and a string of construction lights.

When Antigone sits down in the kitchen, it is at a table hastily fashioned from saw horses and rough boards. Soon that is dismantled.

As for the performances, the Trinity cast is commendable. Fred Sullivan Jr. is commanding in the role of Creon, the prideful king who goes up against Rachael Warren’s headstrong Antigone. Warren is fine in the role, coming up with a powerful portrayal of a woman who is not afraid to speak her mind.

Joe Wilson Jr., who also plays Theristes, makes a stately Oedipus, who appears in an early dream sequence and pops up throughout the play, even though he is gone from the scene when Sophocles penned his play.

Stephen Thorne brings a layer of subtlety to the role of Haemon, Creon’s son and Antigone’s fiancé, and Angela Brazil turns in an intense performance as Ismene, Antigone’s sister.

This is a show with classical underpinnings that sheds light on what it means to be a hero, a person who acts in an extraordinary fashion. It is both old and fresh.

cgray@projo.com