Four years before Julius Caesar sailed to Rome to meet his untimely end, the great leader sought to conquer the outer reaches of the land, always questing for a kindred spirit to rival his own. What he finds, sitting on top of an ancient Egyptian Sphinx, is a young Queen Cleopatra, who beguiles him not only with her beauty, but because she may be the very match he's been seeking.
One of Shaw's most famous and least known plays, this remarkable comedy of epic proportions hasn't been given a full NYC production in over 40 years!
As an early attempt to craft a theatrical relationship that evolved into the Eliza/Higgins partnership of Shaw's Pygmalion, this highly entertaining play from 1898 boldly addresses women's rights, sexual roles, empowering the disenfranchised, having the courage to define the self in the face of social and societal rigid expectations, being an active and contributive member of the community, and even the dangers of Imperialist colonization. Shaw reminds us that we're all immigrants seeking to make our way in the world!
