Antony and Cleopatra

Synopsis

Antony and Cleopatra tells of the overwhelming passions of two magnetic personalities who hold the destiny of a third of the world in their hands. Antony is a warrior and a lover, torn between his military duties and the erotic charms of the sensuous Egyptian court. At the heart is Cleopatra. "Serpent of old Nile", storym and unpredictable. Their love eventually triumphs with their noble deaths, but not before all else is lost.

Our Review:

6 September 2002

Right from the start of Michael Attenborough's production of Antony and Cleopatra, the lines are drawn between the sybaritic Egyptian court, festooned in reds and purple and bathed in coloured lights, and the cold austereness of grey Rome.

Underlying these contrasts between Rome and Alexandria, hedonism and duty, are the twin themes of deception and betrayal - and, more than the struggle between the Danton-like Antony and the Robespierre of Octavius, it's about the deceit that lies in all of us.

Nowhere is the sense of betrayal more palpable than in Antony's final scenes with Enobarbus. The knowing glances between Enobarbus and Cleopatra and Antony's demeanour when he looks beseechingly at Enobarbus to see that he is still true - there are cruel parallels with the Last Supper. It's one of the most effective scenes in this production.

Less effective is Attenborough's decision to excise Pompey from the text - which is a a bit like doing Hamlet without F...

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Latest User Review

USER: Whatsonstage.com - 31 August 2002:

Oh dear. This just got worse and worse. Everything about this is bad apart from the lighting. The direction is a mess, the actors miscast, Stuart Wilson is DREADFUL, the music is irritating and like a cheap battle documentary and the set is hideous and obtrusive. Avoid this at all costs....

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