ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA

Arkangel, which intends to produce all 38 of Shakespeare's plays, presents one of Shakespeare's tragedies, which concerns the struggle between the desire for a woman and the duty of politics. The cast consists of gifted British film and theater actors. This dramatic performance is faithful to Shakespeare's text, and the actors are excellent; it is no mere reading of the text. But while there is never a moment when one has to strain to hear the words of a performer, the play is not easy to follow without the text. The use of Scottish and cockney accents for some of the characters takes some time to adjust to, but in the end it works. M.L.C. (c) AudioFile 2002, Portland, Maine [Published: JUN/JUL 02]