Antony and Cleopatra, Globe Theatre

The return of the magnificent Eve Best heralds this highlight of Shakespeare's Globe  summer season, the bard's tale of cross-continental ancient romance, Antony and Cleopatra.

Best joins the ranks of Judi Dench, Kathryn Hunter and Francis Barber as actors to have played the Egyptian queen on stage. A compelling, complex character, at times unutterably powerful, able to send fleets of ships into war and summon armies, and at others an impatient weeping lover. The play explores passion in later life, between two grown people who cannot throw it all away for love but must balance it with responsibility. It's the older, sexier sibling to Romeo and Juliet.

Eve Best triumphed at the Globe in the 2011 production of Much Ado about Nothing as Beatrice, a performance praised by critics. Though famous for her appearances in films and TV shows such as The King’s Speech and Nurse Jackie, she has been treading the boards for far longer. She was twice nominated for a Tony Award for Best Actress for her work in New York theatre, and won the Olivier Award for her performance as Hedda Gabler in 2006.

In addition to Best, Phil Daniels has been announced as Enobarbus, Anthony’s advisor and, as far as there is one, the audience’s guide through the play. Daniels is instantly recognisable from television dramas ranging from Poirot to New Tricks, Eastenders and Waking the Dead. Anthony and Cleopatra will be directed by Jonathan Munby, who previously brought A Midsummer Night’s Dream to life at The Globe in 2008 and was nominated for Best Shakespearean Production at the WhatsOnStage Awards. This year he is busy directing Twelfth Night for the English Touring Theatre and Therese Raquin in Bath; Munby clearly at ease when it comes to classical theatre. 

The Globe has described this production as a juxtaposition between “Roman virtue and Eastern vice,” as sexual politics and realpolitik join together in tragic matrimony. There is an opportunity to catch a midnight performance on Friday 8 August, which we would highly recommend to experience an absolutely magical night of Shakespeare.