High maintenance Cleopatra

On Thursday evening I went to see NT Live’s Antony and Cleopatra with some of the girls from my Cambuslang book club, plus Heather who sportingly came along at the last minute when someone had to drop out. I had booked the tickets for the Odeon at Springfield Quay, and we all arrived in good time and settled into our comfy reclining seats. I really enjoyed it. Although I have a rudimentary knowledge of the story, I have neither read Shakespeare’s Antony and Cleopatra nor seen it performed, so I wasn’t sure what to expect. I found it exciting and fast paced, with an amazing revolving stage which whisked us from Egypt to Rome and back again. The actors were excellent, led by Ralph Fiennes and Sophie Okonedo in the title roles. When discussing it at the interval we all agreed that Cleopatra was very high maintenance! In fact both Antony and Cleopatra came across to me as very selfish, driven people, although their passion for each other seemed sincere. The ending involved a live snake which we were assured in the introduction would not be harmed in any way. Indeed, I noticed that after Cleopatra’s maidservant Charmian took her turn in being bitten by it, she managed to stagger behind the scenery long enough to return it safely to its handler before she finally keeled over! The play was long - three hours plus interval - but it held my attention and, being performed live in London, really felt almost like being at the theatre.