Monday 21 February 2000

Antony and Cleopatra, Feb 21, 2000


By William Shakespeare 
at Gasworks until March 12, 2000
Reviewer: Kate Herbert

Love and war: these are two of the great passions of the human race.

In Shakespeare's Antony and Cleopatra, the two collide when the obsessional love of Antony and Cleo coincides with the battle between rulers of the Ancient Roman world.

This is one of Shakespeare's last tragedies and a long, complex and difficult play to stage. Director, James McCaughey, presents it unedited in the broad space of Gasworks Theatre with audience seated on two sides in promenade formation.

The production emphasises differences between the steamy, sensual, female environment of Cleopatra's Egypt and the dry, intellectual, male world of Rome. Antony (Ian Campbell) is caught between the two. His overwhelming desire for Cleo (Mary Sitarenos) when he is in Egypt, is obscured by his craving for power on his return to Rome.

Battles are psychological as much as physical. Octavius Caesar, (Grant Moulday) as yet only one of three rulers of Rome, portrays a cool control and ability to negotiate peace while Antony flounders and succumbs to passion.

McCaughey stylises the action, particularly battles, utilising fabric and rope to create location, atmosphere and costume. The evocative soundscape by Graeme Leak (creates music from industrial sound.

Alice Nash's visually simple and effective design, drapes bolts of deep red fabric from the ceiling at Egypt's end of the corridor. Tough marine ropes hang at the opposing end to represent Rome. Costumes by Ella Sawtell juxtapose jewel-coloured gowns with suggestions of armour. John Bennett's inventive metallic trolley provides a mobile war machine.

This ensemble, playing multiple roles, creates a cohesive and coherent production. Sitarenos as Cleopatra is silky, unpredictable and often funny in her seductiveness. As Antony, Campbell shifts from vulnerable lover to steely general. Unfortunately, at times he is inaudible in this cavernous space.

Moulday as Caesar maintains the haughty voice and demeanour of those born to rule and Stephen Costan as Antony's companion Enobarbus, has warmth in both character and voice.

As Cleopatra's two serving women, Genevieve Morris and Miria Kostiuk create a fine triptych with Cleo while Kurt Geyer and Richard Bligh provide a range of strong characters with other cast members, Steven Smith, Steve Gome and Nield Schneider

This is a vivid and intelligent interpretation of the play although the pace seems to drag after interval.

by Kate Herbert


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