Antony and Cleopatra

The picture says it all. This is the main photo used for publicity by the RSC and I have to admit, it gave me cause for concern. As it turned out, the leads were most disappointing. Darrell D'Silva is not the most obvious Mark Antony. He is a good actor who did his best, but there was no magic. And Kathryn Hunter is surely totally miscast as Cleopatra. Her frail body and shrill voice, with an unrecognisable accent, did nothing to suggest her seductive powers. There was no chemistry between the two, so the central concept of their doomed love wasa completely lost.

Contrast this with the rest of the cast who were universally excellent. I particularly liked Brian Doherty as Anthony's sidekick Enobarbus, a young but taller Russell Crowe type who was interesting to watch even when he had no lines. His speaking of the verse was clear and direct. Hannah Young was equally good as Charmian, one of Cleopatra's handmaidens.

I liked the idea of setting the play in modern dress. There were lots of men in suits rushing about, so it was quite good fun. The direction, with again the exception of the scenes between the leads, was top drawer, the movement of many characters on stage expertly handled. So worth seeing for many reasons, but not the most obvious. Athough it was raining heavily before I arrived at the Courtyard Theatre, I was able to take a look at the nearly completed Royal Shakespeare Theatre. Lots of modern looking bits added sympathetically to the little parts left from the existing building. Looking forward to seeing inside next year.