EGTG are not your average fringe company. The graduate theatre group drawn from the local populus, combined with the quaint habits of the Quaker Meeting House staff, meant that from the off this production had a ‘village hall’ vibe which it struggled to escape over the hour-and-twenty.Antony and Cleopatra is certainly underperformed. A much truer depiction of heterosexual love than Shakespeare’s other absurdist teenage romp, it traces the final years of the lives of two of history’s most infamous figures (played here by Jonathan McGarrity and Cari Silver) as they are torn apart by the world around them.Production values are low but belie an interesting (if overblown) comparison between the troubles of the triumvirs and the current war in Iraq. Costume ranged from desert boots to 40s Army General jackets, with a couple of 90s suits thrown in for good measure. This is a difficult aesthetic to sustain when the quality of the performances as a whole do little to hold our attention.The part where Pompey is spoken to over an iphone aside, the characters have been handled as if directed in the 50s. Static speeches are followed by stichomythic verse that was directed to plough over any inherent political intrigue or status. For a play riddled with the machinations of the triumvirs, we were presented with a solider, a retired general and a nerd.The set too could have used much more thought. Four flats rotated between Egypt and Rome during the first half of the play, and as the stagehands became increasingly tired with the globetrotting script, they were often left a scene or two behind. This exercise was rendered even more futile by the fact that both sides of the flats were, for all intents and purposes, exactly the same. Poor guys.Inherent amateurism is not, in itself, a criticism – but as a brand it does tell us something. I left feeling as if I had not seen good theatre, but theatre that was very important for each and every person on stage. A wholesome theatrical meal this may be, but a coherent and developed exposition of an excellent script it is not.
