Last night I attended the first performance of Antony and Cleopatra by the Shakespeare Theatre Company at the Harman Center for the Arts in D.C. I went with a group of English students from Mont Alto.
The performance was very good, although I was told that as the actors get more experience they will get better. I had never seen this play before, but was somewhat familiar with the story.
The theater is brand new. There is not a bad seat in the house. The stage had a large raised area with three projections and stairs in between. The lower level of the stage was really bag. Instead of extensive props a chair or cushions was all they needed. It really kept focus on the actors and the action.
The troupe is staging Julius Caesar at the same time. The actor playing Marc Antony is doing it in both plays! It takes a lot of skill to be a professional, classical actor. I don't see how they can keep both play straight. Cleopatra, played by the British actress Suzanne Bertish was fantastic.
It would really be worth going to see this production again, as well as Julius Caesar.
