Caesar meets Cleopatra meets Bollywood—Handel's 4-hour epic goes gloriously off-rails.
David McVicar’s inventive hit production of Handel’s most popular opera sets the story of Caesar’s conquest of Egypt—and of its queen, Cleopatra—in the era of British 19th-century imperialism while also including elements of Baroque theater and Bollywood movies. David Daniels in the title role and Natalie Dessay as Cleopatra lead the cast. Christophe Dumaux is Ptolemy, Cleopatra’s brother, and Alice Coote and Patricia Bardon star as Sesto and Cornelia, son and widow of Caesar’s opponent Pompey. Early music specialist Harry Bicket conducts and plays harpsichord continuo.
Production
McVicar's bonkers British-Raj-meets-Bollywood aesthetic somehow works.
Acting
Dessay's Cleopatra: nine costume changes, zero chill, all virtuosity.
Direction
Bicket's harpsichord continuo keeps 18th-century authenticity alive.
Director
Gary Halvorson
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Dessay was recovering from vocal nodes during this run; her performance became legendary for its dramatic commitment over vocal perfection.
The elephant. There is an actual elephant on stage in Act I. No one explains why.
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