Why is Antony and Cleopatra Rarely Performed?

Antony and Cleopatra’s “Unique Personality” with Director Carolyn Howarth

By Liz Armstrong, guest writer

The Utah Shakespeare Festival is thrilled to present Shakespeare’s tragedy Antony and Cleopatra in its 2025 season. Not often done, it was last produced here almost 20 years ago in 2006. This is only the fourth production in the Festival’s 64-year history.

Despite it being one of Shakespeare’s rarely-produced plays, Director Carolyn Howarth noted that she’s “never been quite so surprised by a play as I am by Antony and Cleopatra” due to its “unique personality.”

This isn’t a light statement, as Howarth has directed 14 seasons at the Colorado Shakespeare Festival, The Winter’s Tale at the Festival last year, and many other theatres including Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival and Perseverance Theatre Company. Howarth boasts experience as a former artistic director of Foothill Theatre Company and has a BA And MFA from UC Davis. Perhaps most vital to her role as director, Howarth loves Shakespeare, and her insight into Antony and Cleopatra was essential in discussing the Festival’s decision to produce this work.

Folger Shakespeare Library’s stance on the play aligns with Howarth’s, noting that the play is one that is difficult to categorize in just one of the following genres: history, comedy, tragedy, or even Liebestod (a story about lovers dying for love). 

So, if it is so intriguing and genre-bending, why is it rarely produced? Perhaps the most obvious is the structural complexities. It’s difficult to produce because of its frequent, short scenes and location shifts between Egypt and Rome. And although its resistance to fit in one genre makes it interesting, it also contributes to what critics have called “thematic ambiguity.” 

Howarth noted that directing Antony and Cleopatra was difficult because of its sprawling scope, multiple geographic locations, wide time span and plethora of characters, and dense poetry.

Uncut, this play is a combination of 42 scenes, 66 characters, 26 locations, five fights, a sea battle, and six deaths!

Howarth and Dramaturg Isabel Smith-Bernstein broached the massive project of trimming it down, working together to cut the lengthy script in preparation for the production. With the cast and crew, the dramaturg and director successfully undertook this massive artistic challenge–– navigating the complexity of the play with perseverance and ambition before rehearsals began. 

“It is truly epic and operatic in scope and rather daunting to tackle,” Howarth said. “The title characters have uncertain heroic virtues. They have, at times, rather ambiguous actions and motivations.” Antony and Cleopatra portrays historic and famous icons––“rock stars” of their day, and “one of the all-time great power couples” who “are magnificently messy, complicated characters.”

This sprawling epic runs through September 5 in the Engelstad Shakespeare Theatre.

To witness this enormous feat, purchase tickets today at bard.org or by calling 800-PLAYTIX.