6 / 10
Playwright Anna Ziegler reimagines Antigone for today with good intentions and mixed results. Antigone (This Play I Read in High School) maintains Antigone’s defiant spirit by positioning her in today’s reproductive rights debates. Instead of burying her brother, this Antigone (an always dependable Susannah Perkins) has gotten an abortion. Across the centuries, one penalty persists: death.
6 / 10
Handled with proper care, this could be the basis of a compelling new vision of Antigone. But Ziegler’s play is, at times, quite bafflingly sloppy. Early on, for example, while providing “Antigone 101” background, Dicey says that Oedipus “was famously cursed to murder his father and sleep with his mother—which he did and then promptly killed himself.” But he didn’t kill himself, of course; famously, he blinded himself. Is this a deliberate howler, intended to make Dicey’s narration unreliable? It’s hard to tell, because so much of the rest of the show and Tyne Rafaeli’s direction of it at the Public are tonally chaotic.
The Public Theatre has released videos of scenes from Antigone (This Play I Read in High School), which stars Celia Keenan-Bolger, Tony Shalhoub, Susannah Perkins, and more. The play is written by playwright Anna Ziegler.
Tony winner Celia Keenan-Bolger talks ANTIGONE (This Play I Read In High School) at The Public Theater, working with direct address, the legacy of Spelling Bee, and more in this Broadway Deep Dive.
Check out this video from rehearsals for Antigone (This Play I Read in High School), running now through April 5 at the Barbaralee Theater (formerly Anspacher Theater).
The Public Theater's world premiere of Antigone (This Play I Read in High School), by Anna Ziegler and directed by Tyne Rafaeli, opens tonight. The reviews are in for the starry production. See what the critics had to say in our roundup below!
The Public's world premiere of Antigone (This Play I Read in High School), by Anna Ziegler and directed by Tyne Rafaeli, just celebrates its opening night. BroadwayWorld was on hand for the big night and you can check out photos here.
You can now get a first look at production photos of The Public's world premiere of Antigone (This Play I Read in High School), by Anna Ziegler and directed by Tyne Rafaeli.
The Public Theater has released a teaser trailer for the world premiere of Antigone (This Play I Read in High School). The video features Celia Keenan-Bolger, Tony Shalhoub, and more.
The Public Theater will present a one-week extension ahead of previews beginning for the world premiere of Antigone (This Play I Read in High School), a new play by 2025 Susan Smith Blackburn Prize finalist Anna Ziegler.
Rehearsals are underway for The Public Theater's world premiere of ANTIGONE (THIS PLAY I READ IN HIGH SCHOOL), a new play by 2025 Susan Smith Blackburn Prize finalist Anna Ziegler and directed by Drama Desk, Drama League, and Lucille Lortel nominee Tyne Rafaeli. Check out photos from rehearsals here!
The Public Theater has revealed additional cast members for the world premiere of ANTIGONE (THIS PLAY I READ IN HIGH SCHOOL), a new play by 2025 Susan Smith Blackburn Prize finalist Anna Ziegler.
| Year | Ceremony | Category | Nominee |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | The Lortels | Outstanding Lead Performer in a Play | Susannah Perkins |
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