Antony and Cleopatra Jr!

Act II, Scene v

For our 12th SJ!, we returned to the original set. Still palatial, but Alexandria instead of Dunsinane. Here's the scoop:

Cleopatra and Antony are lovin' it up in Egypt, but Antony must away to Rome, called back by his ally (and soon-to-be enemy) Octavius. While there, he's convinced by one of his generals to marry Octavius' sister Octavia (not so creative with the names in ancient Rome) in a vain attempt to ensure he and her brother stay friendly. A messenger is dispatched to Alexandria to deliver the news to Cleopatra, who is stewing in heartache awaiting Antony's return with her favorite chambermaid, Charmian.

As we worked on this, Cleopatra's desperate, puerile obsession with the revisionist account she's hoping the messenger will convey began to feel eerily topical. "Though it be honest," she tells him, "it is never good to bring bad news." At least this despot can acknowledge truth when she sees it, even if she can't accept it...

Music credits:

• "Am I Blue?" by Billie Holliday

• "Mercury, The Winged Messenger" by Gustav Holst

• "Don't Speak" by No Doubt

• "Festival at Baghdad. The Sea. The Ship Breaks against a Cliff Surmounted by a Bronze Horseman" by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov

• "Saturn, The Bringer of Old Age" by Gustav Holst

• "Uranus, The Magician" by Gustav Holst

• "Typical Girls" by The Slits