`ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA' AN UNEVEN MATCH.Byline: Katherine Karlin Correspondent `Antony and Cleopatra'' may not be performed as frequently as some more familiar Shakespearean tragedies, but it resonates with themes that remain strikingly relevant: how the West regards the East as a sexually exotic playground; the essence of what it means to be a man or a woman, and the folly of strong men caught in the throes throe n. 1. A severe pang or spasm of pain, as in childbirth. See Synonyms at pain. 2. throes A condition of agonizing struggle or trouble: a country in the throes of economic collapse. of erotic passion. Directed by Ellen Geer, the version on stage at the lovely Theatricum Botanicum The Will Geer Theatricum Botanicum, named for the English botanist John Parkinson's herbal, Theatrum Botanicum (1640), is an open-air theater founded in Topanga Canyon, near Santa Monica, California by Will Geer in 1973. cleverly draws on all these topics, but its over-the-top pathos makes for an uneven production. The play revolves around the tempestuous tem·pes·tu·ous adj. 1. Of, relating to, or resembling a tempest: tempestuous gales. 2. Tumultuous; stormy: a tempestuous relationship. love affair between Mark Antony, part of an alliance that rules Rome, and the queen of Egypt, and the choices that each must make between love and country. Geer resists the urge to put her characters in modern dress to make the play more topical; she trusts Shakespeare's language to do that, and she leaves the period costumes in the creative hands of Erica Frank Erica Frank, MD, MPH is an American physician, researcher and activist. She specializes in preventive medicine, and practices family and preventive medicine. Her research emphasizes the degree to which a clinician's positive health habits influences patients' positive health . The East-West divide here is subtly signaled in dress, and Frank's gorgeous drapery flutters in the breeze. Soldiers and soothsayers emerge from the thicket surrounding the Botanicum's outdoor stage; seldom do setting and costume conspire con·spire v. con·spired, con·spir·ing, con·spires v.intr. 1. To plan together secretly to commit an illegal or wrongful act or accomplish a legal purpose through illegal action. 2. to produce such a holistic effect. At a trim two hours, the play moves along energetically, and Geer finds wit in scenes that could be played for pathos. But once this staging finds a good thing, it hangs on for dear life. We know that Antony thinks of Cleopatra as a serpent of the Nile, but does Abby Craden have to spend so much of the play slithering slith·er v. slith·ered, slith·er·ing, slith·ers v.intr. 1. To glide or slide like a reptile. See Synonyms at slide. 2. To walk with a sliding or shuffling gait. 3. around on the floor and darting her tongue? And while the first battle scene was diverting, the third, which the unlucky actors had to fight in slo-mo while they kept straight faces, was a little tiresome. Joel Swetow is a capable, if unremarkable, Antony. Steven Matt has some jolly scenes as Antony's trusted Enobarbus, and Chad Jason Scheppner is a commanding Caesar. Schnak the Snake has an especially convincing turn as the queen's scene-stealing royal python. ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA Antony and Cleopatra victims of conflict between political ambition and love. [Br. Lit.: Antony and Cleopatra] See : Love, Tragic - Two and one half stars Where: The Will Geer Theatricum Botanicum, 1419 N. Topanga Canyon Blvd., Topanga. When: 3 p.m. Sunday; through Sept. 24. Tickets: $15 to $25. Call (310) 455-3723 or visit www.theatricum.com. In a nutshell: A brisk production in the beautiful open air. |
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