Review

Even in a city steeped in sterling amateur Shakespeare, last week's Antony and Cleopatra made quite a splash.

Staged by the newly-formed Indulgence Theatre Company at Bishop Grosseteste College and drawing together many of Lincoln's best-known actors - including several from the city's Shakespeare Company - the production was the brainchild of former drama teacher Keith Ramsay who also appeared in a surreal, almost David Lynchian cameo as a blind clown.

Thanks to its hand-picked cast, it was no surprise that the performances should be uniformly excellent, including Neil Perkins as Antony, Chas Rogers as a sneering Caesar, and Liz Lucas as the kind of petulant and perverse Cleopatra one could die for but not live with.

Simon Clark, who also directed, was on top form as Antony's right-hand man, and there were notable contributions from the likes of Jo Hollingworth and Lisa Melligan.

Spanning more than ten years, the production had the scope and sweep of a big-screen epic but at more than three hours was not without the occasional longeur. It was also difficult not to be disappointed by the multimedia element - instead of contributing to or enhancing the action, thanks to unsteady camerawork and irrelevant angles the back projections were simply distracting.

Wonderfully acted on an almost bare stage, this was clearly a labour of love for a cast which brought life, cohesion and more than a little humour to one of Shakespeare's most complex works. Quite an achievement.