The story of the love affair between two powerful rulers – Cleopatra, queen of Egypt, and Mark Antony, who governs the Roman Empire with Octavius Caesar and Lepidus – Shakespeare’s ‘Antony and Cleopatra’ is a play that cannot be easily categorised; full of comedy and witty banter, it’s also a history wrapped around a tragic romance, examining the choices between personal desire and political expediency.
Cleopatra is perhaps the most fully rounded and intricate of Shakespeare’s heroines. ‘Age cannot wither her, nor custom stale Her infinite variety’
Antony, an ageing but valiant general, is torn between desire and duty ‘Cowards die many times before their deaths; the valiant never taste of death but once’
This fast-paced community production, adapted and directed by Jacky Crosher, spins a new twist. An ensemble cast unpicks the plot and text using both original and modern language to make it accessible for today’s audience. A glorious re-working that casts a spell and gives life to this wonderful, tragical, romantic, witty history and its larger-than-life characters.
Running time: 90 minutes plus interval
Recommended: 14+
Tickets: £16
Merlin Theatre, Frome
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