Enobarbus’ Famous Words
Several things are revealed about the major characters through the character Enobarbus in “Antony and Cleopatra,” the play by Shakespeare. One of the instances through which they are revealed is when he makes a statement about Cleopatra, “Age cannot wither her, nor custom stale Her infinite variety.” It should be noted that the audience is not only ready to form their opinion about Cleopatra but actually, they have seen her in full until Enobarbus gives this particular characteristic. Consequently, depending entirely on your individual view of her, Enobarbus’s poetic words might feel like a satisfying confirmation of your thoughts, or they might instead feel like deliberate, positive spin designed to influence perception.
Propaganda Theme
Also, the theme of spin—not to mention its much gloomier clone, called propaganda, is at the heart of Elkhanah Pulitzer’s adaptation of John Adams’s opera Antony and Cleopatra. The said production, which was performed at the San Francisco Opera in 2022, has been reimagined by the Metropolitan Opera in some respects, including an appreciable reduction in the first section and the thrilling sections performed by Annie-B Parson’s dancing ensemble. With intention, Pulitzer purposely employs her visual representation by borrowing heavily from vintage 1930s news portrayals and very finely-styled fascist propaganda films. Therefore, this is distinctly not a production centered on Hollywood itself, even though it cleverly uses the visual style of that city’s golden age era. Instead, it focuses sharply on another powerful industry equally skilled at manipulating facts to transform ordinary people into seemingly divine, god-like figures.
Adams’ Musical Style
Meanwhile, John Adams himself conducts his own complex musical score for this opera, which effectively combines many recognizable elements found in his other well-known works. These elements include strong rhythmic propulsion driving the music forward, a truly excellent grasp of orchestration creating rich textures, and natural dramatic declamation ensuring the words are clearly understood. Overall, while the score may not qualify as an absolute masterpiece, it functions, for the most part, as a highly competent and engaging piece of contemporary opera, particularly benefiting from its slightly streamlined form presented here.
Character Interpretations
Within this production, Cleopatra, powerfully portrayed by Julia Bullock, and Antony, played by Gerald Finley, are introduced to the audience almost in the middle of an intimate encounter. Crucially, these are individuals living very public lives, and their sexuality reflects that openness, performed without much privacy. Why, the staging suggests, would they feel the need to keep their hands to themselves? Additionally, Pulitzer’s blocking and direction are frequently highly dynamic and intensely physical; characters repeatedly grab, shove, and forcefully spin each other off-balance. Moreover, all the political leaders depicted exhibit varying but significant degrees of extreme histrionic behavior: Antony appears impulsive and prone to violence; Caesar comes across as snippy and deeply insecure; Cleopatra initially seems the most rational leader, but she eventually descends into fits of petty screams and physical slaps, mirroring the others.
Powerful Historical Echoes
Furthermore, the specific setting created for this production generates profound and meaningful connections. Ancient Rome, depicted here, actively embraces protofascist myths and symbols, many of which were later adopted during the twentieth century. Consequently, Caesar visually echoes Mussolini in his styling, while simultaneously, Antony and Cleopatra distinctly recall Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson; this was another famous couple whose overwhelming desire tragically led to abandoning duty, amplified by relentless media attention.
Indeed, everywhere within this world, people are constantly photographed and filmed as they enter and exit the critical halls of power. Moreover, Carrie-Anne Parson’s choreography subtly predicts impending disaster around the edges of scenes, specifically through dancers marching and goose-stepping with an unsettling, sinister grace. Therefore, the stakes surrounding Antony and Cleopatra’s passionate love affair are incredibly high, yet crucially, they themselves only partially grasp the full danger.
Striking Visual Design Elements
Meanwhile, Mimi Lien’s imposing, large-scale black set is consistently viewed through the frame of a giant camera lens; significantly, its aperture dynamically expands and contracts, offering tantalizing glimpses of various interiors from Alexandria, Rome, and Athens, often revealing enticing flashes of water backstage. This proves to be a highly effective theatrical device, unlike the frequent projections of Julia Bullock’s face, which feel less successful.As another example, the camera displays Cleopatra in a gloriously shiny gold lamé film set, as if she were really the one driving the 1930s frenzy about her own legend. In addition, the costumes made by Constance Hoffman link the two eras quite naturally by staying clean and attractive with the color gradient likeable sandy and beige, silvery metallic and finally deep, rich jewel item, among other. Ultimately, this results in an exceptionally good-looking production, one absolutely certain to photograph beautifully.
Intense Confrontation and Musical Foreshadowing
However, the opera truly achieves its most vibrant life during the crucial face-off between Antony and his rival, Caesar. While Caesar possesses significant political power, he notably lacks the commanding personal presence of his older counterpart; Antony broods intensely in his chair like a powerful, trapped lion, whereas Caesar skitters frantically around the office in a visible tizzy of outrage. Here, John Adams’s music becomes marvelously intense and focused, clearly signaling the eventual reversal of the two men’s positions of power. Importantly, the tuba motif accompanying Caesar emerges with growing solidity and force, directly contrasting with the distinctive, shimmering sound of the cimbalom that reflects Antony’s internal indecisiveness and wavering resolve.
Paul Appleby’s Commanding Caesar
Paul Appleby delivered a consistently outstanding performance as Caesar throughout the entire production. His voice, a crisp and staunch tenor, possessed a remarkable sharpness and clarity that effortlessly cut through the orchestral texture with dagger-like precision, establishing immediate authority.
Gerald Finley’s Evolving Performance
Meanwhile, Gerald Finley also enjoyed a fine night overall, despite encountering some initial vocal challenges at the very beginning. Consequently, he transitioned notably as the opera progressed. Starting with an imposing, yet slightly rough-edged baritone sound, his voice gradually transformed, becoming distinctly sweeter and noticeably softer by the time the second act commenced, revealing greater nuance.
Strong Debuts from Ott and Raven
Additionally, two significant debuts positively impacted the evening. Jarrett Ott, who gave his stage debut as Agrippa, was impressive with his very vibrant and clear baritone voice. At the same time, the debut of Taylor Raven as Cleopatra’s servant Charmian was also a manifestation of substantial talent with the performer not only proving a point but also using a different and emotionally richer vocal register that grabbed the audience’s attention.
Alfred Walker’s Nuanced Enobarbus
Furthermore, Alfred Walker tackled the considerable challenge of Shakespeare’s weighty monologues as Enobarbus with impressive skill. Significantly, he infused his deep bass-baritone voice with a surprisingly subtle expressive edge, adding layers of complexity to the character’s profound reflections.
Julia Bullock’s Dramatic Powerhouse Cleopatra
On the other hand, portraying Cleopatra as a woman whose power seemed more perceived than viscerally felt, Julia Bullock proved herself an absolute dramatic powerhouse. She moved across the stage with an intensely sizzling physicality, whether engaged in seduction, fierce conflict, or complete emotional collapse during fits of histrionics. Moreover, her rich middle vocal register provided a strong foundation. However, unfortunately, strained high notes meant this otherwise infinitely varied queen lacked the full vocal color palette needed to perfectly match her formidable stage presence. This vocal limitation became increasingly apparent as fatigue understandably set in during the demanding second act.
Musical Tension and Supporting Strength
Finally, the opera’s first half expertly generated significant musical and dramatic tension, particularly focusing on characters immobilized by their own conflicting inner desires. John Adams’s distinctive score, prominently featuring instruments like the cimbalom, celesta, and doubled harps, constantly thrums and nervously jangles with restless, driving energy. This orchestral unease is thoughtfully interspersed with passages of fragile, nervous tenderness, most notably reserved for the character of poor Octavia. Elizabeth DeShong portrayed Octavia, and while her vocal performance experienced something of a slow burn initially, she ultimately achieved a beautifully rich and satisfying vocal quality by the conclusion of her arc.
Static Musical Structure
Furthermore, the second half of the performance becomes noticeably immobile; however, this significant issue stems far more from the fundamental musical structure of the opera itself than from Elkhanah Pulitzer’s staging decisions. Importantly, the key arias sung by Enobarbus, Caesar, Antony, and finally Cleopatra are all dramatically static. Consequently, this lack of dynamism is particularly noticeable because these arias arrive one right after another with very little variation in pace or mood. Moreover, these vocal sections are often physically blocked on stage with minimal character movement, adding to the overall feeling of inertia.
Additionally, Caesar’s specific speech, which strongly recalled the well-known balcony scene from Evita, unfortunately trapped the singer Brenton Ryan (Appleby) inside a small box set piece. Ironically, this physical confinement resulted in his voice sounding distinctly muffled to the audience from within those walls, significantly hindering the vocal delivery during that crucial moment.
Undermined Emotional Core
Meanwhile, it must be acknowledged that Pulitzer’s individual stage images and her powerful use of color remain genuinely striking visual elements; for instance, Antony’s final aria places him dramatically amongst large, projected clouds. Similarly, Cleopatra returns later to meet her death positioned beneath a massive, eclipsing moon projection. Nevertheless, despite their visual power, these specific images ultimately feel strangely disconnected and unmoored from the established visual style governing the rest of the opera, creating a jarring inconsistency.
Consequently, the focus seems to vanish entirely, leaving only what should rightly have formed the absolute dramatic center of the entire opera: the intense, complex love story unfolding between these two profoundly vain and tragically deluded individuals, Antony and Cleopatra. Sadly, at this pivotal point, the composer John Adams gets in his own way; specifically, his musical score becomes its most predictable and formulaic precisely when the opera desperately needs to reach its highest emotional peak and catharsis.
Muted Character Resolution
Therefore, Cleopatra’s concluding scenes feel strangely muted and underwhelming for such an inherently larger-than-life historical and theatrical figure. Somehow, paradoxically, it feels as though we understand even less about her essential character and motivations during her final moments, even as she explicitly sings about her identity and prepares for death.
Ultimately, this reveals a strange irony present both in Adams’ operatic adaptation and, indeed, within Shakespeare’s original source material: Cleopatra proves vastly more intriguing and vivid when other characters describe her than she appears during her own actual stage presence and actions. However, it must be noted that the very same descriptive-versus-actual disparity applies equally to Antony himself, whom everyone around him consistently describes in wildly inaccurate terms.
Interpersonal Propaganda Theme
Cleopatra, notably, stands out as the absolute worst offender in this misrepresentation, but Caesar’s formal eulogy for Antony is equally bizarre and jarring in its strenuous efforts to bury the fallen general beneath a landslide of utterly disconnected praise: “Gentle”? “Noble”? “Brilliant”? Frankly, the audience witnesses absolutely none of these qualities during Antony’s stage life. Instead, we solely observe a deeply flawed man who viciously lashes out at his lover whenever he experiences failure, callously reducing her from a complex, multi-faceted human being down to the brutally flat, dehumanizing epithet: “Egypt.”
Effectively, he has completely rewritten the narrative of their relationship and her identity. At its absolute sharpest and most insightful, Pulitzer’s production powerfully recognizes this core truth: the opera is fundamentally about interpersonal propaganda just as much as it concerns overt political maneuvering. Inescapably, love and death transform every single one of us into relentless spin doctors, desperately crafting flattering fictions about ourselves and others.
