In 1946, French playwright Jean Anouilh created a new version of Sophocles' Greek classic "Antigone" in reaction to the fascism rampant in his world.

Anouilh's "Antigone" didn't simply duplicate the original; it re-envisioned it, altering the structure and characters so it spoke to the complexities of modern times.

In 2004, playwrights Keith Reddin and Meg Gibson, appalled by America's entry into the Iraq war, set out on a similar quest. The result is "Too Much Memory," making its regional premiere at Salt Lake Acting Company.

"Too Much Memory" is basically a reiteration of Anouilh's text, which is the source of both its strength and weakness.

Using Anouilh, rather than Sophocles, gives the playwrights a solid, contemporary foundation. But they have added very little to the original, so the play's relevance to our current political situation seems undefined.

If you are expecting a 21st-century, American reinvention of "Antigone," as I was, "Too Much Memory" does not deliver it. Apart from depicting cell phones, television and the frenzy of media coverage, there are few new insights. But the timelessness of the story, the immediacy of the staging, and the intensity of the performances generate enough power to carry this production.

The story is straightforward. Antigone is determined to bury her brother, whose body has been left to rot outside the city he attempted to overthrow. Her uncle, Creon, who currently holds political power, considers her act breaking the law and is equally determined to stop her. The inflexibility of their positions sets them on a collision course that results in tragedy.

Ironically, Reddin and Gibson's major addition to the play -- a speech where Creon's wife, Eurydice, accuses him of callousness and seduction by power and notoriety -- upsets the balance of the play. It's a mesmerizing moment, and eloquently delivered by Teri Cowan, but it freezes Creon's image as black-and-white villain and undermines the impressions from the preceding trial scene, where Antigone's and Creon's positions are portrayed as irreconcilable extremes: They are both right, and they are both wrong.

Reddin and Gibson have pared the text down to essentials, and Gibson's staging is stark and simple. The action unfolds in the center of a bare space with all the characters observing from the sidelines. The play begins as a casual conversation with the audience by the chorus (Lane Richins). He returns intermittently to comment on the action in an understated performance that is down to earth and direct.

Nicki Nixon is an impassioned Antigone, deftly balancing her fervor and refusal to compromise against her terror of what lies ahead. Morgan Lund is equally forceful as the resolute Creon, capturing the dilemma of a man both lured by power and trapped by circumstance. Stefanie Londino's emotionally conflicted Ismene; Justin Ivie's rigid yet compassionate Jones; and Austin Archer's impetuous, all-or-nothing Haemon are strong in the supporting cast. Jesse Portillo's moody lighting creates an ominous, enveloping atmosphere.

"Antigone" will remain relevant as long as the intersection of individual freedom with preserving order is debated. Although "Too Much Memory" adds little new to the discussion, this resonant production makes it worth revisiting.

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