Antony & Cleopatra (NT)

Was at the NT yesterday with nieces, we walked passed an A and C poster and the ten year old announced that she had read it at school (I assume one of those short plot version text), what did she think I asked, it was a bit weird she said, did she mean them killing themselves I asked, yes she said. I tried to explain about roman notions of honour, of death being preferable to the humiliations of capture, she looked at me unconvinced so in attempt to keep the conversation going I explained that the current production had real snakes and one of them had been dropped for being too wiggly, she was immediately interested and outraged (once I confirmed that I didn't mean it had been dropped off the stage) and proceeded to draw pictures which she was then colour coding, each colour with a feeling attached, black featured quite heavily, I am very angry about the snake she told me.

Booked a Friday rush ticket for this next week - row E of the circle so not the best seat but hopefully not too far away.

Oh Monkey, sad to have missed you this afternoon!
I was dead centre of the front row and felt like I was on stage with them. Sophie, the snake, Ralphy's sword (not a euphemism) all within touching distance. This was proper old school Shakespeare, what a difference from SRB's Richard II which I saw last week. Didn't drag at all. I actually preferred Act 2, thought Okonedo was less shouty/manic and came into her own in the death scene. Thought Ralph had bulked up a bit and definitely less Rigsby (although I did hear someone on the way out reference him).
Biggest disappointment was Tim McMullen's absence, I really missed seeing him. Understudy was just ok and I kept imagining how good it would have been with TM.
I liked the end at the beginning and costumes were fab.
But why did Antony's scene with Octavia take place in a Travelodge bedroom?

I’m so keen to see this* I managed to arrive a day early for my booked performance. Going back tomorrow...

*or it might be my ADD. Who knows!

Oh dear.

Oh dear, so remember that thread from a while ago, ever feel like you were at a different show to everybody else? I mean I haven't read all of this thread as I don't tend to when I already have tickets as I don't want to be put off but going from the raves above I seem to be a bit of an outlier.

I saw this last night and thought it was utterly dreadful, and also borderline interminable, I felt every second of those 3 1/2 hours. Unusually for me I would have fled at the interval but my friend wanted to stay, despite also hating the production. Go figure.

Firstly, Sophie Okonedo who I normally adore seemed to have decided to start her performance at Hysterical Teenage Harpy Level 7 and pretty much left it at that throughout, there was almost no shade or modulation in her performance. I think by the end she possibly toned it down a smidge for the final scenes but by then for me it was too late. Plus she needs to have a word with her costume designer, she started off in something which appeared to have had a large bunch of artificial flowers stapled to the front and then progressed to something almost indescribable, a multi layered eiderdown effect mumu perhaps? Act Two started with what resembled a JLM Slanket but worn backwards and then she did put on a nice frock but appeared to have bobbed to Burger King for a bite to eat and left one of their crowns on. I actually did wonder for a short time with what I considered to be all the other madness going on if the concept of the production was that the inmates in an asylum were putting on a production rather like Marat/Sade.

In addition there was zero chemistry with Ralph Fiennes, nothing. This is meant to be one of the heralded love stories of history.The picture in the poster carries more heat than they managed to ignite last night. Mind you Ralph went full Rigsby last night, a perfect 10, mincing about the stage,gurning, hands on hips, he cut a figure so ridiculous that believing a Queen would sacrifice all for this pillock was hard to accept. If that is what he does every performance it is inconceivable that he beat Kyle Soller for the Evening Standard award. Additionally the actress playing Agrippa, and I use the term loosely, seemed to believe that stalking around the stage like she was trying to keep a roll of pennies between her butt cheeks and looking mildly peeved was all she needed to do to give her character life. And as for Tunji Kasim as Ceaser? I believe I've read comments about him elsewhere on the board, he appears to be a complete gaping vacuum of talent who recites every line like he's reading the minutes of a residents association meeting in Kettering. He must have a rich family or very incriminating pictures of someone as he keeps getting work. The two servants of Cleopatra, Charmian and Iras were played well, especially the former I would like to have seen her Cleopatra as she seemed to have a gravitas and dignity befitting a Queen rather than the inanity of the leading actresses choice, but other parts like Octavia and Pompey seemed flat and pointless.

They make very good use of the stage space and that marvel of set design that comes up at one point is very impressive however it seemed a lot of effort for what wound up a very superfluous scene which given the running time could have been cut (Listen to me, telling Shakespeare his scenes are superfluous!!)

Also about every forty minutes or so a woman wandered out on to the platform to my left side and wailed for about 40 seconds and then disappeared. As nobody else, least of all the people on stage, paid her a blind bit of attention I am wondering if she was a manifestation of how I was feeling or if she had a purpose? Did anyone else even see her??

Still it's the joy of theatre that we don't all like the same things, there was some cheering at the end and maybe a 25% ovation in the stalls. I did see a couple of empty seats after the interval as well. I couldn't honestly give it more than one star. Given the excitement above for the matinee performance maybe they all wore themselves out and couldn't manage it all again last night?

A slanket is basically a blanket with sleeves so you can snuggle under it completely but still have your hands free to do stuff, and JML (not JLM) is one of those catalogue companies that sells all sorts of things to make people's lives a little easier, like slankets or portable heaters or fancy hot water bottles or comfy gardening shoes.

I would give my first-born to the witches to be in the room when people decide to cast Tunji Kasim in things, because I've never been able to work out from his performances why he gets given roles so consistently. I want to know his secret!

Saw an encore screening yesterday, and I too have to join the 'saw a different production' camp

missthelma sums up Sophie Okonedo for me. Looks majestic but lacks grace and instead leans towards the comedy by shouting and EMPaaaasing EVery WOrd and extEEEding EEEvery vOOOwel. No where near as good as Eve Best.

I preferred Ralph Fiennes in the first act. He convinced me as a soldier who is past his prime since falling for Cleopatra. His delivery of the lines however seemed to go full on drunken mode once he became melancholic and mopey in the second act.

Tunji Kasim...first time I saw him perform was in David Farr's The Winter's Tale back in 2009, and his performance here is still the same. Why the RSC and NT continue to cast him, I've absolutely no idea

I've got to say, whilst it was a pleasure seeing Tim McMullan again but he doesn't fit the role of Enobarbus for me. He certainly delivers the wit impeccably but his melodic voice doesn't suit the blunt and rough-spoken soldier.

Some lovely sets, though we did they have to keep Cleopatra in the monument for the final scene. It looked cramped on that small set.

A mixed production, made worse by the fact that the play is baggy and uneven. I felt the minutes pass by.

For those who watched Alan rickman's Antony and Cleopatra at the NT. Was it really as bad as the critics said? It was a box office success. But critics said they hated the way Alan acted. They said he mumbled.

sadly I wasn't fired up by this - a very unglamorous production considering the subject matter. A lot of visual stuff going on but no really striking imagery. The play does suffer from a lot of chaps chatting but not for me this one. I still adore the memory of Janet suzman and Richard Johnson. beautifully stage and exotic and sensual. This was not.

Yes, it was supposed to be Alan Bates instead of Alan Rickman. In an interview Alan said that the critics expected to see Antony as some sort of heroic figure not some washed up alcoholic. I have read other users saying Rickman needed to be prompted because he didn't know the lines. How exactly did they prompt him?

I saw the NT just televised in real life..and part from the messing about with the beginning, I thought it was quite good. It is a very difficult play to get right. Credit due to the original actor who gave his Cleo, must have been brilliant. Rylance attempting to recreate the male/female acting thing, not imo.