REVIEW: Cleopatra & Antony by William Shakespeare, adapted by Sonya Suares – FortyfiveDownstairs/Melbourne Shakespeare Company

Some of William Shakespeare’s history plays are so iconic, it’s hard to separate some of the details of his plays from history. Henry V must have said “Once more unto the breach, dear friends”, surely. Richard III has to have offered his kingdom for a horse. And Caesar’s last words were “Et tu, Brute”, right? But Shakespeare’s play is mostly based on Plutarch’s Lives, and there is no historical evidence of his final words at all.

The story of the great lovers Antony and Cleopatra are probably best known to modern audiences through the film Cleopatra, starring Elizabeth Taylor and husband Richard Burton. It is based on a book by Carlo Maria Franzero, The Life and Times by Cleopatra, which drew from the histories of Plutarch and Suetonius (who thought Caesar’s last words were “you too, child” to Brutus). That film didn’t concern itself with Shakespeare’s telling of it at all.

Even Cleopatra’s contested death-by-asp isn’t an invention of the playwright, but a long-held argument by history scholars who have scant evidence in any case. So what is memorable about Shakespeare’s version of the tale? Cleopatra is another in the pantheon of his complex female characters, especially in relation to power and leadership, and the fact the play is notoriously difficult to direct – short scenes, many of which are set during ship battles in the Mediterranean Sea.

Antony and Cleopatra is also one of Shakespeare’s longest plays, it’s dense with detail and because it’s so rarely performed, directors and performers effectively have to start from scratch each time. The first and only time I’ve seen the play, prior to this new production by Melbourne Shakespeare Company, it was done by Bell Shakespeare. Unfortunately, it was hampered by choices that drained the production of passion and emotional power. Diaphanous curtains, soft furnishings and corporate costumes that constrained most of the cast.

Under direction from Sonya Suares, who also adapts the work to put Cleopatra squarely at the centre, audiences are treated to a much more passionate affair – sharply reduced to a tight 90-minute runtime. One of Cleopatra’s attendants, Charmian, acts as a narrator to recontextualise things and to keep the story moving.

Eloise Kent’s set is simple – tiered platforms of sandstone, framed by large sheets of material that suggest the sails of a ship. Most of the ensemble are seated here as the audience enters; only the reveal of Akina Edmonds as Cleopatra is held for the start of the play. Early on, we are able to enjoy a playfulness between Edmond’s queen and Louis Lucente’s passionate Antony. Suares is having fun with the relationship and the text, giving us time to get our ear in and laugh with the characters before the drama sets in.

Suares has assembled a strong cast. Damon Baudin continues to prove he’s one of the best actors on our indie stages with his performance as Octavius. Jennifer Vuletic is always wonderful and her Agrippa makes a strong impression whenever she’s on stage. Mark Yeates is having fun and Angelo Torres’ Soothsayer is memorably ethereal. Longtime Shakespeare performer Laura Iris Hill creates an Enobarbus who helpfully brings the audience along as he starts to doubt Antony. In this production, the character plays a central role after the play’s climax, which brings the production full circle.

Suares creates a beautiful moods and stunning imagery throughout, working with Movement Director Tom Royce-Hampton to create impressionistic moments of battle and crossing the sea. Rob Sowinski’s lighting is moody and delicate and the final image of the show is striking because of his work.

Central to the show, of course, is the performances of Edmonds and Lucente as the title characters and they create a couple that are powerful both together and apart. From the humorous introduction, through the battle of wills and the political manoeuvring, they are both in fine form. Things start to slip a little by the end, though. Suares is very focused on the emotional devastation for both characters, but this tilts towards Lucente shouting too much and a cascade of crying amongst Cleopatra and her attendants. Far from being cathartic, it becomes uncomfortable, almost silly.

It’s a shame, because otherwise the production is smart in what it cuts and what it chooses to focus on and the directorial shift to centring Cleopatra works remarkably well. And for all the text’s wooliness in Shakespeare’s original version, there is something very compelling in this revised and truncated version that allows the leads to be happy and horny, passionate and dangerous in equal measure.

- Keith Gow, Theatre First

Cleopatra & Antony is playing at fortyfivedownstairs until September 13 

Photos: Nick Mick Pics