THEATRE REVIEW:
KPBS AIRDATE: March 25, 2005
It’s a classic story; older man, younger woman. He falls
hard and makes a fool of himself. But in this version, the stakes are
inordinately high. It’s not just about pleasure vs. duty, vice or virtue,
passion or reason. It’s about world dominance and political supremacy. The
Roman Empire vs. the kingdom of Egypt. When Marcus Antonius chose lust over
power, he gambled big – and lost everything. Though the historical background
of “Antony and Cleopatra” pits the sensuous, self-indulgent East against the
civilizing, self-denying West, Shakespeare shone his spotlight most directly on
matters of the heart. His is a story of raging passions, violent emotions. When
these are contrasted with Caesar’s limp, icy caution, there’s no contest. Even
though Caesar is the only point of the triangle left at the end, and he gains
dominion over all the land, his is a vacuous victory. It is the tempestuous
affair that charms us, with its soul-stirring turbulence and intensity. Antony
and Cleopatra are the original superstars; complex, deeply flawed, endlessly
fascinating.
The small, shoestring Poor Players production underscores
the vehemence and the sexuality of the play. This overheated couple can barely
keep their hands off each other, but their tightly coiled emotions also send
them spiraling into hot-tempered, vicious outbursts, even abusive acts. Their
passion destroys them, but what a way to go. Their separate suicides provide
the ultimate reunion, and even salvation.
Richard Baird is a powerhouse as the conflicted Antony, an
imposing presence, virile and commanding -- but brought to his knees by his
ardor, and reduced to a weeping shadow of his vigorous former self. He is a
bipolar behemoth, drawn inexorably to that siren of the Nile. As Cleopatra, Amy
Meyer is beautiful and beguiling, though more credible as temptress than
potentate. As the cynical soldier Enobarbus, the conscience of the play, Max
Macke does a lovely job, thoughtful, poetic and – this being a Poor Players
production – soused with the best of ‘em. The violence is also there, as
always, and handled well. The deaths are heart-stopping and heart-breaking.
Nick Kennedy has directed with all the youthful vigor this
company is known for. They make Shakespeare fresh and young and relevant.
Kennedy also steps in as Octavius Caesar, to contrast a distant, cold prudence
with Antony’s brash and blistering impetuosity. Some of the secondary actors
are less facile with the language, whose clarity is a Poor Players trademark.
So the sum total of this bare-bones production may be a tad uneven. But it
moves like lightning, and the new, more expansive, black box space gives ample
room for all the passions to explode. In the end, Caesar may rule, but Antony
and Cleo rock.
©2005 Patté Productions Inc.