http://nwhyte.livejournal.com/1197026...

This is a grim tale: a neatly observed set of dysfunctional relationships, primarily that between the title characters, full of both passion and insecurity, but also [Octavian] Cæsar's with them both - Cleopatra is in a sense his stepmother, thanks to the dead Julius, and he also tries to bind Antony to him as brother-in-law. I guess the trick in this production is to make the human failings of these people appear interesting enough to hold the attention. Antony and Cleopatra are both seething bags of neuroses, and don't immediately engage one's sympathy on the page.

The Arkangel production, however, manages it, particularly with Estelle Kohler's Cleopatra, with Ciaran Hinds' Anthony nearly as good. The non-human soundscape of the production is very impressive, with scenes in Egypt or in Rome introduced by appropriately different music, and sounds of chirping crickets in the background at night.

The human soundscape is a bit odd, though. Enobarbus, who has all the best lines in the play, is played by David Burke, who is from Liverpool, with a strong and mostly convincing Ulster accent; while Ciaran Hinds, who actually is from Belfast, plays Anthony as a gritty English soldier. Other minor characters have a hodge-podge of different regional vowels. It's frankly confusing, and an opportunity uncharacteristically missed by Arkangel, who previously delivered an all-Scottish Macbeth and a Comedy of Errors with Irish Ephesians and English Syracusans - given the fact that there's a similar binary divide between Egyptians and Romans here, it's just frankly peculiar that Clive Brill and co didn't try and make something more structured out of the accent choices available. I imagine this bothers me more than it would most listeners.

One other problem with the play - and this is Shakespeare rather than Arkangel - is that there are too many minor characters. In fact I think the original script may have mixed up Proculeius and Dolatella at the end, unless Anthony is misinformed about Cæsar's team, or just being mean to Cleopatra for tricking him into suicide. If I were producing it I'd want to trim and combine a few of the dramatis personæ. ( )

Despite its length and myriads of scene changes and characters to keep track of, I really enjoyed this play. I feel like it's not performed often enough on the Shakepeare circuits, but that helps to keep it fresh for me when I read it. The Folger edition contains footnotes to explain some of the archaic language and references, which is extremely helpful when reading. ( )

Of all the Shakespeare I've read this one stands at the top of the pile with Hamlet as one of the most epic, the most beautiful, and the most resonating plays there are. ( )

We had a free-choice play for my Shakespeare class, so I thought this would be a good one because Cleopatra is a great character. I also attempted to make a beaded headpiece to wear during my presentation, which didn't entirely work. The play is long and goes all over the place, but it's one of the greatest romances of all time, and worth reading. ( )

It's growing on me but not my favourite tragedy.