Shakespeare, Godard, and a Lovers’ Game: New Ballet Reimagines “Antony and Cleopatra”
A striking new ballet production blends the timeless tragedy of “Antony and Cleopatra” with the cinematic sensibilities of the French New Wave, offering a unique and formally inventive take on the iconic love story. The performance, featuring Sofia Dias and Vítor Roriz, is described as a rhythmic exploration of duality and playful deconstruction of dramatic convention.
A Danced Dialogue
The production’s core concept centers on a reciprocal storytelling dynamic. According to observers, Dias embodies the Roman general while Roriz portrays the Greek queen of Egypt, and the performance unfolds as a “danced didascalia”—a repetition and mirroring of gestures and narratives. This creates a structure akin to an “anaphora,” a deliberate echoing that eliminates the traditional “I” perspective, instead presenting a shared experience.
The stage itself is envisioned as a dynamic canvas, shifting in color “from gray to ocher, from dawn to dusk.” A Calder mobile hangs above the performance space, its lenses reflecting the dancers’ movements, emphasizing their fragility and the cyclical nature of the myth being retold.
Cinematic Influences and Soundscapes
The production doesn’t solely rely on traditional ballet aesthetics. A hi-fi system provides a counterpoint to the performance, occasionally resonating with the “emphatic music of the peplum”—the grand, orchestral scores often associated with historical epics. However, the overall aesthetic leans away from the lavish spectacle of films like those starring Richard Burton and Liz Taylor. Instead, the performance draws inspiration from the New Wave cinema of Jean-Luc Godard, particularly his collaborations with Anna Karina (often referred to as “Bébel”). This influence is evident in the “distanced acting” and “light accent of the performers.”
Form and Playfulness
The production acknowledges its own formality, requiring audiences to “let themselves be drawn into this rhythmic ballet” to fully appreciate its nuances. The most compelling moments, one observer noted, arise when the performers appear to playfully subvert the established form and inherent drama, transforming it into something akin to a “nursery rhyme” or a “lovers’ game.”
This innovative approach reimagines “Antony and Cleopatra” through a distinctly modern lens, blending Shakespearean text with the spirit of Godard and the soundtrack of classic peplum films. The result, as described by one critic, is “bizarre Magda”—a captivating and unconventional theatrical experience.
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