Shalonne Lee is Cleopatra in:
the Readers Theatre Workshop presentation of an INC Showcase Production
Written, produced and directed by noted poet, painter and playwright Raul Santiago Sebazco
and starring British stage and screen actress Shalonne Lee as Cleopatra.
“Cleopatra and the Twilight of Khemet” as presented in this workshop format, is a one-woman, one act theatrical piece that opens with the beautiful, young and scholarly queen of Egypt, Cleopatra, receiving the news that the Roman legions under Octavian are headed for Alexandria, the Egyptian capital, to invade and conquer Egypt, and to dethrone and imprison Egypt's queen.
The Prologue:
The year is 30 b. c. The ancient civilization of Egypt, called “Khemet” by the Egyptians, is now threatened by the powerful
Roman Empire.
A shrewd politician in her own right,
Egypt’s clever queen has until now forestalled the Roman conquest of her land. Her relationship with the Roman Dictator Julius Caesar ended with his assassination years earlier by a group of republican senators fearful of his growing power and influence. Upon hearing of his death, and fearing for her own life, Cleopatra fled Rome
with her son Caesarian, returning safely to Egypt and Alexandria.
Four years have passed. Marc Antony is the most powerful of the three men who currently rule over
Rome
, in an uneasy troika known as the Second Triumvirate. Now stationed in Egypt,
Antony
meets Cleopatra and their mutual attraction sparks an intense romance, while their mutual ambitions lead to a political union. Cleopatra’s alliance with
Antony
has revived her earlier dreams of uniting
Egypt
with
Rome
and its territories, thus creating a vast new empire to be ruled jointly by her and
Antony
.
Eighteen year-old Octavian, on the other hand, as the second member of the ruling triumvirate, and Caesar’s nephew and heir to his titles and estates, has other plans. With great political acumen, Octavian, over the period of a few years, has garnered both the necessary political strength and military might to wage war against
Antony and Cleopatra.
After the defeat and death of Lipedus, the third leader of the triumvirate, the battle lines are drawn, and
Antony
attacks Octavian at
Actium
. Decisively defeated by the young upstart Octavian, a demoralized and humiliated
Antony
retreats to
Egypt
with Cleopatra. Octavian “smells blood” and launches the Roman legions to invade and conquer Alexandria while Antony is away from Egypt trying to gather new forces, leaving only Cleopatra and the small remains of her loyal army to face Octavian and the rest of the Roman “barbarians”, as she describes them.
Of course, we don’t want to give away the whole story and thus spoil the fun of seeing this stunning performance, which is also available as a full-length, stand-alone auditorium presentation.
