It is only those with brave souls that take on Greek tragedy. Not so much because they are difficult to stage, the characters are too remote or 'not of our time', or the language is unfamiliar - there are some excellent and varied translations around, not least by Timberlake Wertenbaker (the Theban plays of Sophocles), Ted Hughes (Euripides' Alceste) and Tony Harrison (The Oresteia) as well as the eminently reliable and poetic Penguin Classic texts (this production actually used EF Watling's workmanlike Penguin edition).

No, the problem is one of perception. Like the drama of the Restoration, or (according to one eminent luminary I spoke to recently) anything non-contemporary, Greek tragedy is simply not fashionable. ‘Too highbrow', thunders the dumbed-down dogma.

This is of course arrant nonsense. Sophocles' Antigone is a timeless piece which deals with the conflict between personal loyalty and duty to the state, between the secular and the sacred, between members of the one dysfunctional family (Antigone is Oedipus' daughter, after all).

Like much great theatre, it can survive a range of approaches and stagings. The University Theatre Group chose a contemporary idiom in a state torn by civil war, political instability and general unrest – there are plenty of those across the world today to relate to. Creon, the King of Thebes, was portrayed as a ruthless dictator and the Chorus (of three) as his advisors.

Kahliah Walker and Kate Soper endowed the parts of the heroine and her sister Ismene respectively with tremendous dignity, and the three-piece Chorus somehow managed to exude a curious and highly appropriate ‘apart-ness'. Chris Slater (why does he always get the royal bits?) was a fine portrayal of the tormented Creon, whom I see as the really tragic figure of the piece. The intelligent programme notes from Jon Adams support this notion, and he rightly points to the "extremely moralistic core of the play'. The direction too was intelligent in front of an appropriate set. The musical score was sensitively done, and the lighting, too, underpinned the rises and falls of tension in the action.

My one reservation – and it is quite a large one - is the choice of building, whose acoustics are very audience-unfriendly. Like many historic (especially Anglican) churches which have been ‘modernised', no account is taken of how the spoken word will carry in the new design. They knew what they were doing when the church was built in 1852! Enclosed ‘narthexes' or entrance areas (why do churches need them?), padded upholstery and thick floor coverings look well but simply mop up sound: all very well if you have microphones and CCTV (which St Thomas does), but a serious disadvantage to live, unamplified theatre.

This was not the cast's fault. I have heard many of the actors before, particularly Walker and Slater, and they have no trouble at all with diction or clarity in more welcoming buildings (see review of Romeo and Juliet, Bennett's Habeas Corpus etc .

That apart, it was a highly moving performance. So full marks to Adams, his team and LUTG for a brave, intelligent and well-executed choice.

Copyright © 20 March 2004 Michael Nunn