Enobarbus says that “age cannot wither her, nor custom stale her infinite variety”, yet Cari Silver’s Cleopatra is surprisingly unvaried. Gone is the histrionic attitude; tonight, she teeters in the shadows whilst John McGarrity’s superbly performed Antony takes centre stage. Even Enobarbus’s presence, culminating in a more dramatic death, is more greatly felt. Consequently, Cleopatra can’t beguile Antony quite in the manner that Philo suggests at the play’s start; nevertheless, the balance between loyalty to Cleopatra and the battlefield is fine-tuned to an excitingly contemporary degree. Ian Aldred’s Agrippa, Jo Butt’s Pompey and Renée Philippi’s Iras also deserve worthy mentions for evoking the tragic spirit of the play, as do the creative team for their modern wartime interpretation.
Quaker Meeting House, 15 – 20 Aug, 8.15pm (9.40pm), £10.00, fpp238.
tw rating 3/5
[pc]
Sections: by Paul Collins - ED2011 Theatre Reviews - tw rating 3/5 | Tags: EGTG, Quaker Meeting House
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