The set pieces for Cleopatra: Ambitious Child tell a different story than the general narrative of the show itself. In fact, they tell five different stories. Playing with the idea of what stage sets are supposed to provide (i.e. background, a sense of place, something with which the characters can negotiate, a facade behind which to hide what's meant to be unseen) these pieces provide the same services on a personal level, not so much in a literal or physical sense, but rather a psychological sense. The sets are actually portraits of Cleopatra's five siblings, all of whom were either murdered by Cleopatra or killed one another for the throne. Whereas the main story of Cleopatra: Ambitious Child is that of Cleopatra's self-realization as a woman, a leader, and a lover, these portraits loom over the stage like her haunting past, a constant reminder of her and her families treachery. They are her skeletons in the closet, in the most literal sense of that aged cliché. Stretching the idea further, the portraits and their presentation assume the metaphor of an attic. They hang above the action, neatly put away so as not to interfere, like repressed memory. They are covered in dust clothes that both protect and conceal.

VISIT VOX MEDUSA'S HOMEPAGE
VISIT NEIL JOHNSTON'S HOMEPAGE

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