Oct 23, 2004

Ravi Recommends

I don't agree with all his assessments, but the notoriously passionate L.A. theatre maven Ravi Narasimhan is always worth listening to. He's got a recommendation for a show I won't be able to see due to previous commitments, but I thought I'd post his rave for anyone who's up for it:

"I wanted to notify you about a spectacular one-woman performance of Sophocles's ANTIGONE taking place at the International Latino Theatre Festival which opened this weekend at the indoor space of the John Anson Ford Theatre. Teresa Ralli, a legendary actress from Peru, delivers a spellbinding performance in a poetic adaptation of the Greek text by Jose
Watanabe. She assumes and expresses all of the major roles with a
voice alternately booming as Creon and soft as Antigone with
dancelike physicality using only a couple of nondescript props. She
had the full house in her thrall from start to finish. Hers is a
rare gift and one not to be missed. She performs in Spanish with
supertitles projected in English. Ms. Ralli is part of the troupe
Yuyachkani, which has been a leading theatre company in Peru since
the mid-1970s. There are only two performances left, tonight (Saturday) at 8pm and a Sunday matinee at 3pm. Ticket availability may be difficult but it
is eminently worth the effort."

I've seen very few convincingly stirring productions of this play, which is so popular as a sort of "protest" statement (confusedly so, in my opinion), so if any of you go, let me know what you think.

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