For their 15th Anniversary, Shakespeare Festival St. Louis is presenting a gem of a production, thanks mostly to the female lead of “Antony and Cleopatra.”
From the moment she steps onto the stage, Shirine Babb’s Cleopatra emits the fortitude to hold her own for the sake of her Kingdom of Egypt as Rome moves closer to its goal of global domination.
The idea of a married Roman general falling head over heels for her – and forsaking his position in the process – is made believable by Babb’s stunning Cleopatra.
She is introduced to the audience from a place of compromise. The bed of a married man – not to mention a potential enemy – is no place for a queen. But her passion and unwavering determination to save her nation and fully capture the heart of her beloved Mark Antony (played by Jay Stratton) will compel the audience to root for her.
In this production, directed by Mike Donahue, Cleopatra bears absolutely no resemblance to the presumed features of an ancient Egyptian. Physically, Babb’s Cleopatra looked more along the lines of a Nubian deity than Egyptian royalty.
Her dark skin seemed to enrich the bold blue, gold and crisp whites of her wardrobe. And her hair was cropped and left in its most natural state.
Costume designer Dorothy Marshall Englis deserves a nod for opting out of the coal black blunt cut wig that seems to come standard with Egyptian-inspired wardrobe.
Babb’s natural beauty is amplified by her posture and the intention she delivers to every syllable throughout the course of “Antony and Cleopatra.” She embodies a woman aware of her own power – in life and in love.
Though experienced through one of the most tragic love stories ever told, Babb’s Cleopatra enters her fate just as she entered the stage – with an unapologetic boldness and defiance that warrants celebration.
With Scott C. Neale’s minimal set comprised only of freestanding gold columns on an asymmetrical foundation, it is up to the players to transport the audience between Rome and Egypt as the play dissects the turmoil of an empire at risk of implosion in the wake of the assassination of Julius Caesar – and the unlikely forbidden love that has somehow managed to bloom from the chaos.
The play is effective in tugging the viewer between battlefields on land, sea and of the heart. There are other notable performances – Charles Pasternak’s Octavius Caesar and Raina Karrianne Houston as Octavia/Iras, in particular. But through “Antony and Cleopatra” Babb delivers what may be the strongest lead performance to date for Shakespeare Festival St. Louis.
Shakespeare Festival St. Louis’ presentation of “Antony and Cleopatra” continues through June 14 in Forest Park. Performances take place nightly at 8 p.m. (except Tuesdays) with the green show beginning at 6:30 p.m. For more information, visit www.sfstl.com/ or call (314) 531-9800.
