It does pain me to say that, because 'Antony and Cleopatra' is a great, passion-filled play. It is long and one of Shakespeare's wordiest plays, but it has a strong emotionally powerful story, two of Shakespeare's most iconic titular characters and the text is some of his most beautiful. Also hold the Royal Shakespeare company in very high regard, while their filmed live streamings in the past decade have varied in overall quality the good things in every one of them have been outstanding and the standard of many have been high.
Sadly the standard of this production is rather uneven and not of a high overall standard. It is not terrible, and there are aspects that are executed very well indeed. Those plus points also being quite significant. The production sadly also has a number of major flaws, major enough to make what could have been a searing production of 'Antony and Cleopatra' at the end of the day a tepid one with moments of excellence. Which is a real shame.
Am going to start with the good things. Did like the main set with the giant cats a lot, imposing and sumptuous as well as cleverly used. The music is suitably exotic and is quite haunting. The video directing has an intimacy that makes one feel like they are there, that's how vivid the atmosphere is from seeing how it's filmed. Wasn't crazy about the staging on the whole, the two titular death scenes are handled beautifully, one uncompromising and the other almost sensual.
There are a few good performances. My favourite performance was actually Ben Allen as Octavious, a very intelligent and nuanced portrayal with a great understanding and delivery of the text. Antony Byrne also on the whole does a good job as Antony, bullish on occasion and not always at ease as a lover but very commanding and bravura when in authority as a soldier and his reaction on hearing of Cleopatra's death was moving. Charmian is very good too.
Didn't actually know what to make of Josette Simon's Cleopatra personally. She is tempestuous, elegant, sensual and suitably manipulative, plus she has a good deal of energy, so there is a lot to like about her portrayal. The way she is made to speak at points though is off putting, too childish and affected and makes Cleopatra almost too simpering. She and Byrne's chemistry doesn't have enough testoterone or passion, part of it being down to Byrne looking ill at ease at times with her.
Other than the aforementioned set, this 'Antony and Cleopatra' does not look appealing. Much of it looks too drab and sparse and there is nothing exotic or elegant about the costumes, Cleopatra's clothes are more bargain sale quality than glamorous. The staging is what drags the production down. There is nothing really to be offended by, apart from the truly amateurish and unintentionally comical sea battle, and it tries to be respectful to the text and such.
The problem is that in doing so it comes over as too safe and undistinguished, with no insightful touches to make it stand out and no risk-taking. The chemistry between the actors doesn't ignite enough, especially the one that matters most, and can be static and emotionally it just felt rather bland. Pace-wise it does tend to ramble, with so little that's fresh it makes an already wordy play even more wordy. The dialogue could have been enunciated clearer in spots. Andrew Woodall also sadly didn't work for me at all as Enobarbus, in most productions seen of 'Antony and Cleopatra' Enobarbus has been one of the better acted characters. For my tastes, Woodall was too rough and too tetchy for a quite noble and nuanced character that has one of the play's most moving moments, the burnished barge speech, that here is delivered too aggressively (not like Woodall usually).
In conclusion, has its moments but disappointing. 5/10.
