ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA UP NEXT AT CUMBERLAND THEATRE

Classic tale by William Shakespeare opens next week

The Cumberland Theatre will continue their 37th Season with the classic Antony and Cleopatra by William Shakespeare. The show will run March 27th – April 13th for ten performances.

The play was first performed around 1607, by the King's Men at either the Blackfriars Theatre or the Globe Theatre and follows the relationship between Cleopatra and Mark Antony from the time of the Sicilian revolt to Cleopatra's suicide during the War of Actium. 

Mark Antony—one of the triumvirs of the Roman Republic, along with Octavius Caesar and Lepidus—has reached the heights of power. Now he has neglected his empire for a life of decadent seduction with his mistress, Cleopatra, Queen of Egypt. He ignores Rome's domestic problems, including the fact that his third wife Fulvia rebelled against Octavius and then died.

Caesar calls Antony back to Rome from Alexandria to help him fight against Sextus Pompey, Menecrates, and Menas, three notorious pirates of the Mediterranean.  At Alexandria, Cleopatra begs Antony not to go. In a tragic fight between devotion and duty, obsession becomes a catalyst for war. Politics and passion are violently intertwined in a gripping tale of power and betrayal. Torn between love and duty, Antony’s military brilliance deserts him, and his passion leads the lovers to their tragic end. 

Productions of Antony and Cleopatra over the years have included many famous actors playing the title roles: Laurence Olivier and Vivien Leigh in 1951; Michael Gambon and Helen Mirren in 1982; Anthony Hopkins and Judi Dench in 1987; Patrick Stewart and Harriet Walter in 2006; Kim Cattrall and Jeffery Kissoon in 2010 and Ralph Fiennes and Sophie Okonedo in 2018.

CT’s upcoming rendition is being directed by visiting guest director Kathleen Barth with script editing and fight direction by Sam Little, who recently directed last season’s Nevermore.

Playing the roles of Marc Antony and Cleopatra will be Michael Brewer who is appearing on the CT stage for the first time and Kimberli Rowley who was last seen in last fall’s The Cover of Life.

Playing the roles of Octavius Caesar and Lepidus will be Charlie Meeks (last seen as Duncan in Macbeth) and Reiner Prochaska (last seen as Clarence in It’s a Wonderful Life. Also playing principal roles are Savannah Tagliaferro as Charmian, Katie Zimmerman as Octavia, Sean Besecker as Enorbarbus and Chase Fowler (also making his CT debut) as Pompey.

The supporting cast also includes local actors Brendon McCabe, Clayton Muir, Kirk Squires, Ellen McDaniel-Weissler, and Marcus Hardinger.  Visiting actors include Erik Alexis, Katelyn Shreiner, Eryk Bluto and Graham Luker who is also serving as the show’s fight captain.

The design team for the show is comprised of Maggie Jackson (set design), Jennifer Clark (costume design), Rhett Wolford (lighting design) and Jaiden Courrier (sound design). Joseph DiBiase is serving as the stage manager.

A preview performance will be held Thursday, March 27th at 8:00 pm. Following the preview, performances are March 28th – April 13th with Friday and Saturday performances at 8:00 pm and Sundays at 2:00 pm.. More information on ratings, group sale, etc. can be found on cumberlandtheatre.com where single tickets are available for purchase as well as 2025 Season Passes.