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Salient. Victoria University Student Newspaper. Volume. 33, Number 7. 27 May, 1970

Antony and Cleopatra

Antony and Cleopatra

Antony and Cleopatra

Antony and Cleopatra

I find Anthony and Cleopatra a challenge, and need I give more reason for wanting to produce this play? It's been gnawing at my inside for years, like Anthony's has been gnawing at Cleopatra's and Cleopatra's at Anthony's. You know about the play, I wonder how much you know about the problems of producing it? A long time ago I went through my first internal dialogue and after much thought put the red pencil through all the 'Pompey' scenes. This shortened the play without weakening to any great extent the main line of the story. Theatrically, my action had some justification, as modern audiences awake at eight and expire at eleven. I cut more and more, and then I began to erase my erasures until I found myself with the play intact. I began again and 'Pompey' once more went to oblivion.

But now I face the greatest question of all, how do I interpret the thoughts (not the words) of Shakespeare? And on this point I find myself in a whirlpool, for the play becomes more difficult as it progresses. In the opening scene we meet Anthony and Cleopatra in a rich sensual mood. To me this scene was insoluble. I asked myself how the hell can Anthony and Cleopatra get in this mood fifteen lines from the beginning of the play? Shakespeare, I said, was mad! Weeks later I solved it and gave Shakespeare the benefit of sanity. Shakespeare's thoughts were about luxury and ease (the kind that comes from going to the theatre after good food and drink). And from here grew the image-music-dancing. As a result the play opens with music, dancers and wrestlers. I feel so confident about this scene now that I've cut the first fourteen lines, and Cleopatra has the fifteenth. Yet, I feel I'm being faithful to the thoughts of the author; in fact I'm absolutely sure.

Pat Craddock

Pat Craddock