On Stage: Cleopatra & Antony review

Director Sonya Suares admits she faced many challenges in presenting Cleopatra & Antony for the Melbourne Shakespeare Company.

After all the original Shakespearean play, Antony and Cleopatra, features 42 scenes and 34 named characters and takes place in Egypt, Rome and parts of Greece.  And then there’s the story which is full of passion, intrigue, political manoeuvring and fighting.

So how do you reduce such a play, first performed in the 1600’s and running for hours, to a 90-minute show at Melbourne’s fortyfivedownstairs, theatre?  In Suares’ case she focuses on Cleopatra.

As Suares explains: “The more I dove into it, the more clearly Cleopatra revealed herself in defiance of the way she is so often depicted: i.e. an idea, an ideal, an exoticised outline, the ultimate femme fatale whose mercurial power over Antony unmans him.

“This is a woman who spoke ten languages and was a renowned scholar; who survived two brother-husbands in the blood sport that was Ptolemaic dynastic history to claim the throne of Egypt via a tactical relationship with Julius Caesar; who groomed their son to be the natural successor of both empires; and whose next relationship with Mark Antony was one of history’s most consequential political alliances.

“It enraged me that she exists most often in the cultural imaginary splayed on a chaise, legs and breasts akimbo.  When you reinstate Cleopatra at the centre of her own narrative, the stakes in this work read more legibly all round for a contemporary audience – it gives Antony something substantial to fight for/wrestle with.”

While this doesn’t mean Cleopatra (Akina Edmonds) completely dominates Suares’ production, her cunning, charm, scheming and seductive nature is there for all to see.

We learn more of her story from her most trusted servant Charmian (Tsungirai Wachenuka) who also acts as the play’s narrator, filling in the gaps in the story and providing insights into Cleopatra’s character and actions.

Those narrations aren’t so useful for those of us who are a little behind in our reading of the history of the Roman Empire!  So it’s probably good to have a basic idea of the story and the main characters who feature throughout the production.

Understanding the basis also explains why, although Suares claims the emphasis is on Cleopatra, the play heavily highlights the impact of the conflict between Antony (Louis Lucente) and Octavius (Damon Baudin) and others battling for power in Rome. This conflict ultimately ends in war and the suicides of both Cleopatra and Antony.

At the same time you don’t need a full history lesson to appreciate the work of the 13 actors who star in the play.

Edmonds’ expertly brings to life Cleopatra’s many emotions – from her sometimes lust, sometimes frustration and sometimes anger with Antony especially when she learns he has married Octavius’ sister Octavia(Julia Hanna).

Lucente similarly shows his acting abilities as the Roman general who is clearly torn between his love of Cleopatra and his responsibilities to Rome. He’s also called on to embrace numerous emotions – from macho soldier to brooding, passionate lover.

Baudin’s Octavius comes across as a calculating and controlled character who is far less emotional and physically commanding than some of the players around him.

These players include Agrippa (Jennifer Vuletic), Octavius’ trusted general.  Several cast members are called upon to play several characters including soldiers for both Antony and Octavius and major players in the power struggles in Rome including Pompey (Deep Sroa) and Lepidus (Tim Wotherspoon).

Together with compacting such a complex story, the other major dilemma facing Suares would have been staging the battle scenes which are so much a part of the story. Her solution – clever use of curtains and cast choreography.

After watching this performance it’s understandable why, of all Shakespeare’s plays, this is one of the least performed. It’s a very complex play with many moving parts. But thanks to the work of the actors even the most `historically’ unaware have a better understanding of the volatile and passionate relationship between Cleopatra and Antony and the reasons for their demise.

Cleopatra & Antony is playing at fortyfivedownstairs, 45 Flinders Lane, Melbourne until September 13. For more information and tickets visit the fortyfivedownstairs website.

Jenny Burns attended a performance of Cleopatra & Antony on August 25 as a guest of the production company.

*Photo credit: Nick Robertson (@nickmickpics)