Fanfares please! Shakespeare’s all-too-rarely-staged epic Antony and Cleopatra (1607) receives a staged reading showcasing the incomparable Audra McDonald as the Egyptian queen who is both kitten and cougar. With her sultry speaking voice, glamorous sensuality, and electric temperament, McDonald has at her fingertips all the cards the phenomenal role demands. At 53, she’s even of an appropriate age. John Douglas Thompson—in his time a regal Othello—takes on the over-the-hill Roman general who tosses the Roman Empire away for love of her. Many such presentations from Red Bull are filmed for home streaming, but for now, this one is advertised as “in-person only.” That could change, though. Let’s all phone in! Vox populi, vox dei. —Matthew Gurewitsch