I attended press night of Antony and Cleopatra at the Globe and was deeply moved by the blending of signed and spoken worlds and cultures. I don't sign myself but the storytelling was clear and made the text more powerful to see it visually. The play has a great pace and really shows how much comedy is peppered in Shakespeare's deep tragedy, such as the balance of life. The creative captions only added to my experience, I recognise my hearing privilege that I don't need to use the captions, which gives a greater understanding of the needs of deaf audiences. I think if audiences would get over their irritation at having to read the captions they would open their hearts and minds as to what bilingual theatre can be. An original and hugely powerful show. Go and experience it for yourself!

Loved this production. The mixture of sign language and spoken text really worked to show the cultural gulf between Rome and Egypt. The signing actors were so physically gifted it was like watching a dance. A great way to spend an afternoon.

The clever idea of showcasing the differences in culture and the breakdowns in communication between characters by having the Romans speak English and the Egyptians use sign language is brave and original. It mostly works and is supported by a cast who are excellent. It is wonderful to see so many deaf actors on such an iconic stage. This isn't one of Shakespeare's easiest plays so perhaps a better known play may have made this concept more accessible but the audience on the day I saw it responded well, especially to the humour. Many people who don't understand sign language and who don't easily understand Shakespeare likely found some of it more accessible by watching the visual and iconic nature of much of the signing. Some of the reviews already left for this show are disappointingly abelist and rather ignorant about sign language being a complex language capable of poetry, which requires an expressive face and body to communicate, and is not lesser than spoken English.

Well, contrary to other reviews I enjoyed the performance of Anthony and Cleopatra. Yes, at first it was strange having periods of silence but then that is the experience of anyone who is deaf and subtitles helped to tell the story. There was comedy in the play at times but for me that did not detract from the tragedy. Nor did the acting of the performers who were deaf. There is a lack of understanding in this world on how any significant hearing loss impacts and I thought this play was a positive move to help improve others understanding as well as a very enjoyable experience.

This is the eighth play I’ve seen at the Globe in eleven years. I love Shakespeare and love the Globe Theatre. Unfortunately, I agree with the dismal reviews. Having whole scenes with multiple characters signing in silence just killed the rhythm. Lots of audience members were looking around in disappointment. This is the first play that I left at the interval.

Significant sections of the play, including most of the final 20 minutes, have no audio are in sign language or subtitles only. From our side seats (which cost £65 a ticket) the only fully visible screen was at the back of the theatre. This gives you a choice - watch the actors or read the script, we couldn't do both. Many people walked out or left at the interval. I did complain to The Globe but they seem to think its acceptable not to be able to see the the actors and see/hear the words at the same time. Huge disappointment and waste of a lot of money.