Pari Saberi Review: Dramatic Arts Center Iran had the honor of being the first foreign company to appear at Rome's newly-restored Coliseum this past summer. Their production of Antigone was subsequently restaged for indoor performance at Vahdat Hall in Tehran. Pari Saberi grafted the classic tragedy onto the Iranian passion play ta'zia, thereby creating one of the most unique versions of Antigone. This is an appropriate choice, because ta'zia commemorates the fatal encounter of a small band led by Hussein (grandson of Islam's Prophet Mohammed) and the much larger army of Yazeed, who headed a corrupt and irreligious regime. The outcome was as predictable as in the case of Antigone, and conformism triumphed over freedom. Per ta'zia convention, Saberi with Sahreh Jahanpavar assigned red to Creon and company, green to Antigone. Feathered helmets and medieval military garb completed the nod toward this tradition.
So far so good, but Saberi overwhelmed the drama with melodramatic gesturing for the leads and so padded the tragedy with pageantry that the storyline became submerged.
Horizontal steel beams were regularly raised and lowered with two singers and six instrumentalists entering the circular playing area and retreating each time. Just as regularly, Saberi turned the whole into a lowbrow daf (broad Iranian drum held aloft) and dance spectacle. Perhaps these devices worked better in the outdoor setting of the premiere in Rome, but here they tended toward the bombastic. Predictably, the Creon-Antigone confrontation made a strong impression, but the usual impact was nearly lost amid the clatter. Ironically, the men came off better than the women, probably because the latter seemed to have received too much directorial attention.
Luckily all was not bleak. Choreographed battle scenes made effective use of shields and swords. A chorus of sixteen included some vibrant stage personalities, if just as many dullards. The exit procession of actors and musicians was among the more moving moments of the evening.
