Antony and Cleopatra
National Theatre, London

ANY assessment of this absorbing production must begin and end with the breathtaking performance of Sophie Okonedo as Cleopatra.

Capricious, self-obsessed and ever so slightly unhinged, Okonedo’s leading lady is the raging epicentre of the play, forcing others to respond to her earth-shaking movements as she unsettles their equilibrium and undermines the foundations of their best-laid plans.

It’s an emotionally wrought interpretation that reaches a high peak of intensity in the tear-stained, melodramatic final scene, but it’s also punctuated by inspired moments of levity and humour as Okonedo, bringing to life the manipulative fancies that pervade Cleopatra’s character, convincingly switches moods in the blink of an eye.