"Antony and Cleopatra" at the Folger Shakespeare Theatre in DC

It was Shakespeare at the Folger Shakespeare Theater/Library this past Sunday afternoon and a play of the Bard's that I had never read or seen performed before. "Antony & Cleopatra" was one of Shakespeare's later tragedies, and it is based on a translation of a history by Plutarch. The thing about experiencing a Shakespeare play for the very first time--even if you have a basic understanding of the plot (thank you, Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor!) is that you're still spending a lot of energy grasping the nuances of the dialogue in order to just come away with a sound understanding of what this version is all about. The advantage that this provides is a generalized understanding of the sense of the production as a whole. There isn't mental room for too much nitpicking and the things that either bother or impress are generally obviously bothersome or impressive. By comparison, if I were to go see Romeo & Juliet AGAIN, I am looking for lots of very specific things from the way particular recitations go to the finer points of movement and chemistry between characters.

Let me; therefore, start with some general observations. I don't really like the play that much--it covers too much ground in too short a time span and the transitions between major shifts in historical events are not always discernible at first--leaving me feeling like I'm playing catch-up in order to understand shifts in the emotional relationships between the characters.  At least in this performance, the first half was slow and had a lot of lack luster plodding. The shining example of the opposite was the character of Octavius Caesar played by Dylan Paul. He landed in every scene with an intensity that was captivating and seemed to energize those around him. Then came the second half; which was like a different play.  Nearly everyone stepped up their game, and things became much more compelling. Granted there were also major soliloquies to be performed and lots of people die--it's a Shakespearean Tragedy, after all. Yet, both the principles Cody Nickell as Mark Antony and, especially, Shirine Babb at Cleopatra just become more real in their emotional portrayal of the famous lovers. I found myself ceasing to think of them as actors portraying characters, and instead I saw them as Antony and Cleopatra. On the negative, and I rarely get personal when it comes to criticisms of actors, there are just some people who can't do Shakespeare. They fucking can't! When they try, they simply become a distraction. That would be Simoné Elizabeth Bart. And while she had the relatively minor role of Charmian (thank the muses!), she was never in the zone. I came to dread the moment I realized she going to speak again. Her resumé is impressive, she just isn't my cup of tea for this genre of acting.  And unless she's just bull-headed arrogant, I fault the director for not correcting her interpretation of the role.

In a bold change for the theatre, the set was constructed in the round and the audience was placed on the sides and where the stage usually resides.  I sat in the middle of the front row in the balcony that would have otherwise been the second level of the stage.  It was an interesting perspective not only of the play, but also of the theatre.  For friends who may be interested in seeing this production I would say, invest in something else.  Having experienced both "Timon or Athens" and "Sense and Sensibility" last season at the Folger, I know what an exceptional production looks like. 

The stage in the round.

Cleopatra (Shirine Babb) and two of her attendants, Charmian (Simoné Elizabeth Bart) and Mardian the Eunich (John Floyd)

Mark Antony (Cody Nickell) and Cleopatra (Shirine Babb)

Octavius Caesar (Dylan Paul)

The wedding of Mark Antony and Octavia (Nicole King)