Antony and Cleopatra opens

After a very encouraging preview period we have the press opening this evening.We have had great support along the way from James Shapiro (author of 1599) , whose knowledge of Shakespeare’s politic world has been invaluable and his understanding of the notions of Roman honour and the horror of losing and being led in Triumph by the victor have helped us in understanding the values system in the world of the play. We stage a Triumph where Caesar has Pompey , who in the scene before had sealed a peace treaty with the three leaders of the Roman world, lead in Triumph and then slaughtered. Although our period is 1800 Haiti and Paris i have borrowed from Roman imagery , as Napoleon my model for Caesar would have done , and we see him in toga and golden laurel wreath over his uniform. In this image he is the sole surviving of the initial ‘three pillars of the world ‘.

Antony and Cleopatra, Swan 2013 ,directed by Tarell Mccraney, designed by Tom Piper, Lighting by Stephen Strawbridge

Antony and Cleopatra, Swan 2013 ,directed by Tarell Mccraney, designed by Tom Piper, Lighting by Stephen Strawbridge

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