Antigone


In 1953, after her husband's death, Mechthild Harkness created Sophocles' Antigone as a solo performance with which she toured America and Europe. After coming to Australia in 1969 she revived her production, playing at the Q Theatre and other venues in and around Sydney. The images on this page cover a range of productions.


Early performance of Antigone


'....exquisite, fascinating sensibility. The spectators were deeply and utterly moved.'
National Zeitung, Switzerland .


Early performance of Antigone


'Mechthild Harkness has not only fine artistry, but a compelling presence that gives authority and meaning to her characterization.' Santa Barbara News Press, USA



Program for London performance, text:
														RUDOLF STEINER HALL
35 PARK ROAD, LONDON, N.W.1.
ear Malee Sieces Siste
On Thursday, October Sth,
at 7.30 p.m.
MECHTHILD HARKNESS
of the Goetheanum Stage Group. Dornach, Switzerland)
PRESENTS
THE ANTIGONE OF SOPHOCLES
as a Solo Performance with MUSIC & MIME TICKETS at door, or in advance from Rudolf Steiner Bookshop,
35, Park Road, N.W.I (PAD 9514)
Some Press Notices:
SWITZERLAND
VationolZeiruer
Taserstonesessinstoners
GO GASH
" Giornale der Popolo'
Her expressive gestures and singing. which rang
pure as a bell, lent a special charm to her playing
ITALY
"II Marrino Dell' Italia Centrale
linear style and fare punty.
USA
Neve Press
Markocss has not only ane artistry, but


Paris
Les Nouvelles Litteraries (Gabriel Marcel)
.... rival of Ruth Draper, she managed without effort to reconstruct by gesture, intonation and mime the soul of each of her characters.

Arts
A style of playing of exceptional quality where the gesture is of rare beauty .... a grandeur and simplicity of which one knows few examples in Paris.


***

JOHANNSEN IMPRESSES WITH GREEK TRAGEDY1953


Tom Proctor
Ojai Valley News

Sophocles' tragic drama, Antigone, was given an unusual and effective presentation by Mechthild Johannsen last weekend at the High Valley Theatre. In an ambitious one-man show Miss Johannsen depicted characters, chorus and played her own compositions of incidental music. The production is well conceived, and as an actress Miss Johannsen shows admirable facility as she moves swiftly from one sharply delineated character to the next, achieving her effects through her flexible vocal ability and remarkable grace of costume and body movement. The poignant scenes between Antigone and her sister, Ismene, were particularly good, as was the characterization of the old king, Creon. Music as mentioned above, was created by the performer, and proved once again that she is a woman of many talents. Sounds of the harp and varying sizes of recorders were contrasted with the brazen notes of a gong and drum beats in beautiful melodic patterns, or formal dark and foreboding accompaniments for the tragic words of the classic. As a tour-de-force, Miss Johannsen has chosen a vehicle and a medium for which she is admirably suited. The production is an excellent one.


Ojai program, text: ANTIGONE
AN INTERPRETATION WITH MUSIC AND MiNE
PARIS
'Les Nouvelles Litteraries'
Gabriel Marcel rival of Ruth. Draper, she managed without effort to reconstruct by gesture
intonation and mime the soul of each of her
characters the marD, sne sank with the most pure voice don't know what melody perfectly suited
to cue sacuacion. A style of playing of exceptionat quality where the gesture is of rare beauty breathtaking . . . a grandeur and simplicity
of which one knows few examples in Paris
GERMANY
"Weser Kurier' unpretentious and above all Inwardly filled, that is how theater should always be
played. The audlence forgot time and space,
became a eye and ears a rare and intense
experience.
"Bremer Nachrichten'
Mechthild Johannsen, superb artist and
brilliant verformer.
'Hamburg Presse A revelation of the true art of acting. hardly expected and rarely seen. Thought, feeling and word became image before our eyes. shattering and marvelous, the split. second transformations of voice. expression
and movement
SWITZERLAND
National Zeitung
risite, fascinating sensibility. The
spectators were deenyandutterly-moved
*Giornale der Popolo
Her expressive gestures and
SInKIDE. which rang pure as a bell, lent a special
charm to her playing.
"Basler Nachrichten' •mackenole power octransformation
artist of original and most powerful
talent. A wbole
ITALY TI Martino Dell Irela
linear style and
'La Nazione
exceptional artist
ing magic.
Nuoto Corrieré'
revealing with extrea
the infinite fantasy
Copeau dreamed of.
UNITED STATES
Los Angeles Times
her acting a veritable pus
Santa Barbara News Prei
Rondle D. S humble yet queenly quiet grace, speaking wits and singing with simple lyric
There was richness nuance of expression hat too rarely In the theater nsen has a wide range of and piten in ner roles, in a few eloquent lines, ments of restrained pantomine, a character of such vividness
in ones memory or rears. Miss Johannsen has not onis. but a compelling presence that tires
ority and meaning to her characteria
'Santa Barbara Star' It has not often been our chances
ness more perfection and finesse
"Ojai Valley News
Top honors to Mechthild Johannsen
sensitive and finely drawn portaryal Her grace of movement. mobility of a pression, without once overstepping confines of the character she paved. wer
impressive to a high degree.
MANAGEMENT OF HAMILTON BINGHAM, HIGH VALLEY THEATER, OJAI

***

American review page
La Jolla Light
Thursday, Jan 15th, 1953


Antigone
Presentation Enjoyed Here
A very enthusiastic audience attended the unusual presentation of Antigone at La Jolla Art Centre last Friday evening. Mechthild Johannsen, by use of her remarkable voice color and range, her adequate but never superfluous gesture and the mere shifting of a scarf portrayed all the characters in the Dudley Fitts and George Fitzgerald translations of Sophocles' great drama. She gave each one his peculiar setting: played on reed instruments for intervals: emphasized descriptions by playing on a small Irish harp and strengthened dramatic effects by beating a drum or cymbal. Her range of characterisation made possible even physical differences for in directly dialogue the transformation from the distraught young girl Anigone to the robust and cruel Creon was readily visualized and accepted. Spectators, as tragedy followed tragedy, waited with fascination the inevitable climax and the just punishment of the man who abused his powers and nursed an arrogant pride...... The Greek story, the originality of its presentation, and Miss Johannsen's superb performance gave members of the Art Center a memorable evening. (Freda L. Klapp)

***

Introduction to the dramatic presentation of Antigone by Sophocles
...from programme notes

Production - unknown date
The tragic events centered around Oedipus, King of Thebes, culminate in the third drama of Sophocles' trilogy in the doomridden figure of Antigone, daughter of Oedipus. The story begins with Oedipus, left in the wilderness at birth by his royal father, King Laios of Thebes, in the attempt to prevent a prophecy from being fulfilled. Found, rescued and brought up in a foreign court, Oedipus returns to his native city, unknowing of his true origin. On the journey he kills his father and after solving the riddle of the Sphinx that holds thrall over Thebes, he is proclaimed King and given the widowed queen, Iocaste - his mother - for his wife. Four children spring from this marriage: two sons, Eteocles and Polyneices and two daughters, Antigone and Ismene. When the truth becomes known Iocaste hangs herself and Oedipus puts out his own eyes. He is later deposed from the throne by his sons and goes begging on the roads with Antigone, to his death in exile. The two sons agree to share in the rule of Thebes, each to reign in alternate years. But their father's curse, which they incurred when deposing him, determines their fate. When Eteocles has ruled a full year he refuses to relinquish the throne to his brother. Polyneices then calls upon the Argives to support his cause and sets forth to besiege his native city with the Argive army. When neither side seems to be winning the two brothers agree to fight it out single handed. In the ensuing combat they kill each other and the Argive host withdraws from the siege. Creon, uncle of Oedipus' children, now becomes king. The scene is still Thebes, the public square before the palace. The ensuing action is divided into three parts and takes place between dawn and dusk on the day after the fatal battle between the two brothers.

***

Audiences Spellbound by Antigone
Monterey Peninsula Herald, September, 1953

American review page
A Saturday night audience which filled every seat in the Golden Bough Players' Circle sat spellbound as Mechthild Johannsen gave an inspired interpretation of one of the world's great classical tragedies. In her solo performance of Sophocles' Antigone, Miss Johannsen admirably recreated a diversified cast of characters and managed to preserve all the dignity and majesty of a full production. The text used by Miss Johannsen is a Dudley Fitts and George Fitzgerald translation, its five scenes woven into an impressive tapestry by music of her own and Leopold van der Pals composition - performed with skill and infinite grace on harp, flute, gong and kettle-drum.


Antigone, the third in a cycle of ancient Greek tragedies beginning with Oedipus Rex, dramatizes the conflict between an edict by the gods and an ultimatum of a tyrant. While the situation, that of a young girl caught between a law of the gods demanding that she perform funeral rites for her slain brother and the threat of death at the hands of her kingly uncle is she does so, seems long outmoded, the underlying theme of the play and the lines through which it unfolds are as timely as today's newspaper.

Miss Johannsen is not only an experienced actress, but one exceptionally well equipped with beauty of voice and feature. Her interpretation of Antigone showed a rare depth of understanding and sensitive appreciation of her material. It seems a great pity that this one woman show of Antigone should be given only a single performance here. (Irene Alexander)

***

Sydney production
SYDNEY
PRODUCTIONS



Sydney production


Sydney production
Curtain Up

Solo performance by Mechthild Harkness of Sophocles' Antigone at the Boama art centre, Chatswood.

Mrs. Harkness has toured America, England and Switzerland with this performance, which shows the depth of her talent.

The tragedy of Sophocles' work was fully explored by Mechthild Harkness' interpretation of each of the main characters. She in turn was Antigone, her sister Ismene, King Creon, his son Haimon, the blind prophet Teiresias, the sentry, the messenger and the chorus.

The performance was a masterpiece of understatement with a bare setting, a single costume with versatile drapes and three musical instruments - a drum, cymbals and a harp, on which the actress played to heighten the effect of the chorus.

Almost with a single gesture, she conjured up the picture of ancient Greece, the city of Thebes and the dry earth on which the unburied Polyneices lay.

In a performance of sustained power, Mechthild Harkness developed the sense of impending doom into ultimate tragedy with the death of Antigone, Haimon and Euridice. Her gift for creating the reality of the past into the present comes into the realm of really great theatre. (North Shore
Times, 1971)



Sydney production


Sydney production


with Irish harp


***








mechthildharkness.net © 2005-2023 by various authors (of mechthildharkness.net) is licensed under Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International