★★★★★

“a magnificent tale of what it is to be human”

Antigone [On Strike] is a most intriguing, interactive show where you get to vote by responding to questions related to the show and its subject matter, like a creative poll full of suspense and challenging arguments. Through a series of student workshops in East London, writer and director Alexander Raptotasios brings us a tragic story of two Muslim sisters that have been treated with prejudice and hate, indicating how human rights are so delicate and often overlooked for the ‘sake of the collective’s safety’.

A 14-year- old girl, Esmeh, left the UK to become part of the Islamic State in Syria. She now finds herself in a refugee camp, her UK citizenship revoked, her appeal to return to the UK rejected and with her baby seriously ill. She and her sister Antiya, who’s back in London, are desperate to bring her home, but no one listens or cares to help. So Antiya decides to go on a hunger strike, hoping to set things in motion and create change before it’s too late for Esmeh and her child.

The structure of the play mixes TV debates, news updates, social media posts and live streams, video calls (video content created by Vittoria Belli), personal interactions and public ones to create a piece that is electric. The similarities to Sophocle’s Antigone are there, a sibling that’s rejected by society, a powerful but insensitive leader, conflict between personal opinion and government rules to name a few, but they merely elevate a production that is more than capable to stand on its own two feet.

Spectacular acting from all the actors, who bring to flesh real people with complex intentions and different views. There is significant resonance in the father-son relationship between Home Secretary Creighton, played by Phil Cheadle, and Eammon, played by Ali Hadji-Heshmati, who disagrees with his father’s way of handling Esmeh’s case and decides to stay true to his own convictions, even if that means going against his father publicly. Esmeh, played by Hannah Khogali, doesn’t appear onstage, but we do see her on video, giving her own side of the story in a fragmentary way, a right that was taken away from her throughout her whole case. Sorcha Brooks is a wonderful host, talking to the audience, commenting on the answers we give and moving the plot forward. And the final speech of Antiya’s, played by Hiba Medina, about sacrifice and social change brings goosebumps by creating a shared moment of social consciousness and accountability.

Marco Turcich’s set comprises of a commanding white rectangular stage with an ancient Greek aesthetic, separating the auditorium into two sections, with audience on both sides. The actors walk around, jump and stand in different places, creating a balanced visual playfulness.

Anyone who’s even remotely compassionate about their fellow humans and interested in unpacking political and humanitarian issues, and that should be all of us, must watch this show. This production points out how important it is to be part of the conversation, through a magnificent tale of what it is to be human, especially during a time that the media play such a big role in every aspect of our lives.

SECOND BEST

Riverside Studios

★★★★

“Butterfield navigates the journey with a fearless and faultless performance”

Much has been made in the media recently of Asa Butterfield’s stage debut. In interviews he has said that theatre “has always terrified” him. We get the impression that this is genuine, rather than a false modesty. Having made his name in “The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas” at the age of ten, he went on to play the lead in Martin Scorsese’s “Hugo”, before his major break in the Netflix series, “Sex Education”. Yet he is sufficiently aware that standing in front of a live audience is a completely different ballgame. Especially when you are the only one on stage for the whole hour and a half. Any fears we (or Butterfield for that matter) may have had about this inaugural performance are instantly driven away. “Second Best” is a wonderfully stylised, one-man, one-act play by Barney Norris in which Butterfield commands the stage with a natural comfort and ease, and a sparkling charisma that keeps us hanging on his every word.

Adapted from David Foenkinos’ French novel (translated by Megan Jones), it tells the story of Martin – the (fictionalised) boy who lost out to Daniel Radcliffe on being cast as Harry Potter in the film franchise. Although a specific narrative, it is immediately relatable. Who hasn’t wondered what might have happened if things had turned out differently? That ‘different life I once almost had’ as Butterfield’s character states. That is the crux of the piece. Quite a simple premise, but it is wrapped in layers that are peeled away by Butterfield as he paces the stage, making sharp turns through Martin’s backstory in a seemingly haphazard fashion.

As we enter the auditorium, Butterfield is already there. A lone figure in black, strikingly prominent against the stark white backdrop. Fly Davis’ set is initially a puzzle. A damaged corner-shop rack of crisps, a camera tripod, television set, large packing crate, empty picture frames and a hospital bed high up on the wall. Martin sets the scene. We begin in the present, in a hospital waiting for the results of his and his partner’s three-month scan. But Martin’s mind cannot focus on the image of his child-to-be. Instead, it is being dragged back to into his past – a life of things he didn’t do. A sometimes-traumatic journey. Honest and brutal yet funny and sympathetic as Martin pieces himself back together again. Non sequiturs are strategically placed throughout the script, teasing us until their meaning smacks with a startling clarity. Michael Longhurst’s skilful direction makes inspired use of the props and set pieces, and all the while Butterfield navigates the journey with a fearless and faultless performance.

The narrative is, in fact, more about Martin’s relationship with his mother and, particularly, his father. A stepfather casts a dark shadow too. We follow Martin from school, through to his early film auditions. We commute with him from England to France and back after his parents’ divorce. A vertigo inducing scene takes us into hospital where he was briefly sectioned. And eventually to the party where he met the love of his life – and his saviour. All with stroboscopic shifts from the dark to the light. And never before have tuna sandwiches carried such tear-jerking poignancy. As the conclusion approaches, we do get a whiff of self-help therapy. In Martin’s words, it is ‘not the story of how I came second, but the story of how someone put me first’. But in Butterfield’s hands we are spared any trace of sentimentality. What he replaces it with is tenderness.

In real life, Butterfield narrowly missed out on being cast as the new Spiderman in 2015. The part went to Tom Holland. But he is philosophical about it and has no regrets. Had his story played out differently, though, he might not be here on the stage as his fictional counterpart, Martin – which, for us, would be a big regret. “Second Best” shows us that ‘the other’ life might not be as glittering as it looks. There’s plenty to think about, but what doesn’t need much contemplation is that this sharply insightful play is rendered a must see by Asa Butterfield’s bold and brilliant performance.

ANTIGONE [ON STRIKE]

Park Theatre

★★★★★

“a magnificent tale of what it is to be human”

ANTIGONE [ON STRIKE]

Park Theatre

Reviewed on 3rd February 2025

by Stephanie Christodoulidou

Photography by Nir Segal

Previously reviewed at this venue:

ANTIGONE

ANTIGONE

ANTIGONE

SECOND BEST

Riverside Studios

★★★★

“Butterfield navigates the journey with a fearless and faultless performance”

SECOND BEST

Riverside Studios

Reviewed on 3rd February 20245

by Jonathan Evans

Photography by Hugo Glendinning

Previously reviewed at this venue:

SECOND BEST

SECOND BEST

SECOND BEST