Election Section

Aurora Theatre is presenting an impressively staged world premier of San Francisco playwright Cherylene Lee’s Antigone Falun Gong. Lee may well be remembered from TheatreWorks’ production last year of The Legacy Codes. 

Lee, a fourth generation Chinese-A merican, has been drawn to create an amalgam of materials taken from both the great Greek tragedy, Antigone and the now-outlawed Chinese movement entitled Falun Gong. The result, although uneven, is quite remarkable and, in many places, stunningly beautif ul. 

Not surprisingly, the classic Greek tragedy Antigone provides the structure and much of the plot, with significant alterations from Lee. An effective Bonnie Akimoto is cast as “A,” the protagonist. As in the classic tragedy, “A” is attempting to prov ide proper burial for one of her dead brothers, who has been condemned to decay unburied by her uncle “C,” the magistrate (ably played by David Furumoto). More than unafraid, “A” actually seems to look with anticipation upon the death sentence she will in evitably incur. (No, it isn’t depression; it appears to be based on her beliefs from the Falun Gong.) 

Defining the Falun Gong would probably require a dissertation. First, the huge masses of people who practice it deny that it is a movement. It simply is n’t clear whether it’s a cult or a religion or just a set of spiritual exercises. (It took the Chinese government until about three years ago to consider it any kind of political threat and to begin serious attempts to wipe it out.) 

What did happen was t hat huge numbers of people regularly gathered in parks and open spaces where they practiced five exercises ( known as qigong) of something apparently rather like yoga movements. One aspect—relevant to this play—is the concept of the development of a “thir d eye” through which practioners can “see” events otherwise unknown to them. It is through this “third eye” that “A” has experienced her uncle’s part in her brothers’ deaths. 

Antigone is, of course, the third and final play in the trilogy in which the horror of the curse upon her father, Oedipus, is played out through his children. Oedipus’ suicide led to a fight between his two sons over who would inherit the throne. Both died, and their uncle assumed the monarchy. In this production the uncle, “C,” is transformed into a “magistrate,” but clearly one with absolute powers over life and death. Furumoto, who also directed the play, portrays the character effectively. 

And this is where it becomes rather difficult to discuss what are clearly some of the bes t parts of the production, the group scenes which can perhaps be best described as based on dance. Peter Kwong, the choreographer, says that his choreography is “a fusion of martial arts, jazz, and hip-hop.” He is a practitioner of Northern Shaolin Kung-F u, Tai Chi Chuan and Chi Kung. Other movements appear to be derived from the Falun Gong positions that “A” has used in many of her appearances on stage. 

Whatever the source, these scenes are tremendous and, fortunately, frequent. One suspects that it boi ls down to the fact that Kwong is an extraordinarily gifted choreographer who obtained absolutely first class dancers for these roles. And their frequent appearances on stage are the primary reason to see this production. 

Despite excellent performances—you can’t fault the actors—the play itself seems to flounder under the weight of way too much story to tell. There just isn’t time to develop any feeling about any of the items that are being thrown at you. Even the pathos of a self-doomed heroine is lost in the lengthy grocery list of events. 

(We haven’t mentioned the rather startling and fairly lengthy discussions about the American planes and television cameras flying overhead as if they are there for 24 hours a day. And there’s the doomed love affair between Antigone and her cousin (an excellent performance by Michael Cheng). Then there had to be room for a lengthy confrontation between Antigone and her uncle? 

A whole lot of stuff goes on in this play—much too much to fit into the time restraints a m odern audience expects. As it stands, the themes can’t be developed into issues that the audience is going to care a hoot for. Even the horror of a brother’s body left to open decay arouses no significant response. There isn’t time. 

Clearly this is a gre at production—worth seeing for the beauty and drama of the frequent martial arts and dancing scenes. And the actors are talented. If the play could go thorough a few more rounds of re-write, it would be simply breathtaking. 

Aurora Theatre Company perform s Anigone Falun Gong at 8 p.m. Wednesday-Saturday and at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. Sunday. Tickets: $28-$40. 2081 Addison St. 843-4822 or www.auroratheatre.org.›f