Extraterrestrial Antony and Cleopatra Production at Harris Theatre
Unlikely that William Shakespeare ever encountered aliens, but in Mason’s Harris Theater on August 3-4, there they were. Written and directed by Alex Bulova and performed by the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI @ Mason) Players, George Mason University was host to a premier performance of this unique approach to Antony and Cleopatra. In this play, Antony and Cleopatra in Space, Mark Antony, as a member of the powerful Interplanetary Martian triumvirate, was a resident of Mars, while Cleopatra was queen of Venus. The performance was presented as a 1930’s radio play, with the seven actors playing multiple roles and adding many appropriate-to-radio sound effects. The various planets and other space travel images were represented by backdrop projections and there was even a role for a robot. Interspersed between the five acts were radio commercials, several for Shakespearean memes, such as the Ophelia brand Lifejackets.
Bulova has written several original playscripts and in the past OLLI has collaborated with him to put them on. Currently he is one of the two company Playwrights in Residence at the Class Act Players Theater Company. The OLLI Players group consists of seniors who love theater, enjoy acting, and travel throughout the Northern Virginia area to bring theater to other groups. Harris Theatre was a perfect venue for this show!