Chris Kayser and Tess Malis Kincaid have the title roles, but the real star of Georgia Shakespeare’s “Antony and Cleopatra” may be dramaturge Amlin Gray, whose plot synopsis in the program details the epic historical goings-on with a succinctness and clarity that’s otherwise absent in director John Dillon’s overly long and laborious production.
The play is among the Bard’s lesser-performed tragedies – arguably, with good reason. Circa 40 BC, the action concerns a triumvirate of Roman rulers (the ambitious Octavius Caesar, the noble Mark Antony and the expendable Marcus Lepidus) and the wily Egyptian queen (Cleopatra) who rebels against them. Calling the show complex would be a compliment; more aptly calling it complicated is less of one.
To be fair to an ensemble that includes several talented and seasoned Georgia Shakespeare veterans, too many of the political intrigues and military maneuvers that propel the story happen offstage. Even in the most capable acting hands, listening to someone merely recounting momentous events isn’t always so gripping for an audience. (In this case, Allan Edwards still acquits himself admirably as our ill-fated narrator.)
To be frank, however, too few of the actors make the drama any easier to follow. Oh, they’ve memorized all their heightened Shakespearean prose and can rattle it off like common conversation. But they often speak as though by rote, without taking the time or care to put much meaning or nuance behind the words. We hear what they’re saying, whether or not we fully know what they’re talking about.
With rare exceptions, the various subplots and supporting characters are blurry, at best. Scenes of comic relief initially feel misplaced – Cleopatra and her entourage toying with a hapless bearer of bad news, or Scott Warren’s shtick as a snake peddler – and yet, if nothing else, they stand out and leave an impression.
At least Sydney Roberts’ color-coded, 18th-century-style uniforms help define the warring factions: Octavius and his minions wear British reds, Antony and his French blues. Elsewhere, Kincaid dons glimmering gowns, elaborate crowns and a not-so-great wig. And if you think Neal A. Ghant is a sight as the deformed Caliban in the company’s concurrent staging of “The Tempest,” wait until you see him here as the eunuch Mardian, in harem pants, puffy sleeves, a turban and bright eye shadow.
Based on their opening-night performances, neither Kayser nor Kincaid seem especially assured in their roles as the star-crossed lovers, and they both lean a bit heavily on the histrionics. For his part, in contrast, Joe Knezevich portrays Octavius with a calm conviction that eschews stock villainy. Carolyn Cook also excels in a glorified cameo as a creepy soothsayer.
It might say something about the play that this is Georgia Shakespeare’s first crack at it in the troupe’s 26-year history. It definitely says something about the show that, for the first time in my own 20-year career, I had to consult the program notes just to figure out who was who or what was what.
Theater review
“Antony and Cleopatra”
Grade: C
Through July 22 (in rotating repertory with “The Tempest”). $15-$45. Conant Performing Arts Center at Oglethorpe University, 4484 Peachtree Rd. N.E., Atlanta. 404-264-0020. gashakespeare.org.
Bottom Line: Lots of sound and fury, signifying little.
