THE BARD BY THE SEA
‘Antony and Cleopatra,’ with a twist, at festival
Elizabeth Dashiell, of Jupiter, remembers exactly where she was sitting during the first production of the Palm Beach Shakespeare Festival. She was in high school and thinking about how amazing it would be to perform on that stage one day. Now, 28 years later, she is the co-producer of the festival, which she describes as “beyond a bucket list moment.”
“It was such a thrill when I performed in the show in 2003. It was something I wanted since high school,” said Dashiell, who added that being a producer is “still a thrill.”
Over the past 28 years, the stage, cast and crowd have changed, but Dashiell said the plays are still relevant.
“Shakespeare wasn’t meant to be read,” said Dashiell, who recalls her mother acting out scenes from Shakespeare before bed. “It’s meant to be performed.”
This year, the cast will be putting a modern twist on “Antony and Cleopatra.”
“This is a sultry love affair between a herculean Roman and an Egyptian queen that sparks a trans-Mediterranean war,” said director Trent Stephens.
The play starts with a presentday archaeological dig where scientists unknowingly disturb Cleopatra’s tomb, which triggers a curse. The diggers are sent back in time to relive the final days of the doomed lovers.
While the producers try to modernize Shakespeare’s work by setting the preface of the play in modern times or as they did in 2015 when they did “Hamlet” with cellphones, the production team says they never change Shakespeare’s words or the meaning of the play.
“I think the plays are so brilliant and so clever. The secret of it, and the secret of our success is that we take creative license with the plays,” said Kermit Christman, the founder of the festival. “We do not present them as the Globe Theater in the 17th century.”
Stephens, who is a theater teacher in Lexington, Kentucky, spends a good portion of his year cutting down the play so it fits the festival’s theme and is a length people want to watch. Each play is about an hour and a half with a 20-minute intermission.
“We take the text down to its essential matter,” said Stephens, 28. “Even the snobs don’t miss anything.”
Christman said cutting the play is hard, but with creativity it’s possible. He is particularly excited this year because they
are finally doing “Antony and Cleopatra.”
“It has been proposed in the past and everyone said, ‘No. Boring,’” said Christman. “This time I said let’s look at ‘Antony and Cleopatra’ and see what’s going on with them.”
After studying the characters, it became clear that the focus should be on Cleopatra.
“She had this incredible career as queen of Egypt and of the East, but history chalks her up to be a little bit of a floozy. I think there is so much more to her,” said Stephens. “When we were looking to do this play we kind of imagined if she was resurrected and how mad she would be.”
Kelly Lee Hussey, 35, of West Palm Beach, plays Cleopatra and said in some ways she feels connected to her character.
“She is a very strong woman. She is very smart,” said Hussey. “I wouldn’t say I’m all Cleopatra, but you have to be able to empathize with the character and find the truth within that person and within yourself.”
In particular, Hussey said the last scene is something that resonated with her and might be relatable for the audience.
“In the last scene, Antony is dead and she is dying. She loves him, but she’s mad at him,” explained Hussey. “Trent goes [to me], ‘Have you ever been mad at someone who died?’ I looked at him and said, ‘I got you.’”
When Hussey and her nine other cast members were rehearsing at The Benjamin School’s theater on June 27, there were no costumes and no set. Most actors were still memorizing their lines and had only two weeks. That’s what makes the Shakespeare Festival unique. It all comes together 48 hours before the play opens.
“You work hard and long to make something like this work,” said Christman. “It takes a little bit of hard work and a little bit of luck to prevail.”
While it seems like a sprint to get ready for opening night, the cast and production team find it enchanting because they say you never know what’s going to happen. The uncertainty mixed with the fact the play is outside near the water’s edge makes for a one-of-a-kind experience.
“I think quite literally my favorite part is standing out in the park on a beautiful evening watching the show, which looks absolutely beautiful, with 2,000 people,” said Christman. “You watch and look up at the stars and hear the sounds of the ocean. I’ll float around like a ghost and look around and it’s magical. Then I say: ‘You are lucky. You built this and you are lucky.’”