With wide eyes and mouth grimly set, the soothsayer offers his prediction: “You shall outlive the lady whom you serve,” he says, much to the horror of Charmian, Cleopatra’s lady-in-waiting. Speaking in British Sign Language (BSL), our soothsayer (William Grint) creates a serpentine image, his arm sharp and jutting, his fingers forked by Charmian’s throat.
The Egyptian queen’s court communicates in BSL in Blanche McIntyre’s bilingual production – with associate direction from Charlotte Arrowsmith and BSL consultancy from Daryl Jackson – while the Romans perform in spoken English. Subtitles appear on screens around the wooden O. Far from being distracting, they offer a strong case for such visual aids becoming a permanent fixture in the theatre.
