Antony and Cleopatra – Location, Tickets, Reviews
Tarell Alvin McCraney takes on Shakespeare’s notoriously difficult Antony and Cleopatra with a contextual re-imagining. He transports the tragedy from the last days of the Roman Empire to 18th century Saint-Domingue on the eve of the Haitian revolution. He enlists Enobarbus, Antony’s friend and supporter, as a narrator to assist with guiding the audience through the story. Other than that, the play is mostly true to the original plot. It preserves references to Mark Antony’s Rome and Cleopatra’s Egypt, and projects Haitian culture through dance, music, and costumes.
Maxamoo
The play is set to breezy Afro-Caribbean music played by a live band sitting in a stucco balcony over a small, cleansing pool of water. The ambiance is refreshing and the songs are beautiful and poetic but these visual and audio devices are not enough to deliver a play that wholly satisfies.
In addition to the location change, McCraney cut down the total run time of the play and reduced the number of characters. Unfortunately, the effort is not rewarding. The story hardly touches on the events and politics of the Haitian Revolution, making us question the decision to relocate it in the first place. None of the characters inspire sympathy. All we saw in Cleopatra was a cranky, youthful, beauty driven by jealousy and in Antony a reckless army-man addicted to love. Another flaw is that several of the actors have two or three roles each and the visual cues meant to set them apart are not always effective. At times it was unclear which character was speaking, making the already complex play more confusing. We agree that the play has a stunning look and feel, but too much is missing for us to recommend this production.
Public Opinion
At the two performances writers for Maxamoo attended, we noticed some audience members departed for the intermission and did not return and a few dozed during the second act. Nonetheless, it received full ovations both nights.
From Twitter:
@guguftu: ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA @PublicTheaterNY was superb; calamitous, intimate interpretation, don’t miss it if in #NYC @TheRSC
@TheRealCartier: Antony and Cleopatra was fabulous! @PublicTheaterNY
@ReynaldoTaylor: Had an excellent time @PublicTheaterNY last night seeing “Antony and Cleopatra”. Still obsessing over the stunning set design. #checkitout
@LittleHouseNYC: If you were thinking about seeing Antony and Cleopatra at the Public, I’m here to tell you, you can skip it.
Have you seen Antony and Cleopatra? What did you think? Comment below or tweet to us at @Maxamoo.
Critics’ Reviews
All of the reviews found the play unsatisfying, except TheaterMania thought “this timeless story looks poised to recur once again.”
New York Times
Shakespeare Hits the Beach
New York Post
Gimmicks trump coherence in a new production of “Antony and Cleopatra” that would probably have Shakespeare suing for copyright infringement.
TheaterMania
Ptolemaic Egypt becomes colonial Haiti in Tarell Alvin McCraney’s sensual reimagining of Shakespeare’s classic love-and-war tale.
New York Theater
Shakespeare’s Tragedy in Haiti and Miami
New York Magazine
A Fast-Moving Antony and Cleopatra
Newsday
Shakespeare lost in the Caribbean
Talkin’ Broadway
Who cares about the setting when the soul is what’s at stake?
TICKETS
$65-80 (click here for tickets)
DATES
Performances through March 23, 2014
LOCATION
The Public Theater
425 Lafayette Street
New York City
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RUNNING TIME
2 hours and 45 minutes, 1 intermission
NEWS
Maxamoo
Early Buzz: Antony and Cleopatra
CAST & CREW
(partial list)
Written by William Shakespeare
Directed by Tarell Alvin McCraney
Featuring Jonathan Cake, Charise Castro-Smith, Samuel Collings, Ash Hunter, Chukwudi Iwuji, Joaquina Kalukango, Ian Lassiter, Chivas Michael, Sarah Niles, and Henry Stram