Cleopatra (Chelsea Music Hall) NYC Reviews and Tickets

75%

(93 Reviews)

Positive

79%

Mixed

18%

Negative

Members say

Entertaining, Great singing, Ambitious, Edgy, Raunchy

About the Show

Set to an original pop and EDM score spun by a live DJ, this immersive musical traces history’s most seductive and powerful ruler, mixing historical drama with an enveloping spectacle.

The legendary Queen of the Nile is throwing one of her famously lavish parties to celebrate the Empire’s latest triumphs over Rome, and you are invited to attend. Inside the palace, drinks flow and music seduces as guests are met with every indulgence. But outside the city walls, the alluring Marc Antony beckons, the nefarious Octavian lurks, and Cleopatra’s enemies plot a violent end to her prosperous reign. The Queen better watch her back.

"Cleopatra" is a high-octane fusion of music, dance, fashion, theater, and nightlife that welcomes audiences into a wholly interactive experience. An earlier staging of "Cleopatra" was produced last year at Theater for the New City.

Member Reviews (93)

Great dancing, Miserably uncomfortable, Monotonous, Excruciating, Disappointing

See it if You want a club experience, if you want to see some energetic dance moves and some really sexy costumes.

Don't see it if You’re not prepared to stand for more than an hour and a half in a crowded, loud, jostling mob of young people talking and rcding w/phones. Read more

Entertaining, Great singing, Ambitious, Great dancing

See it if you want to try something different, and want to hear some great songs with talented singers. If you like song and dance shows.

Don't see it if you can't stand for over 1 hour. You really need to be up close and to watch the dancers. Read more

Entertaining, Raunchy, Ambitious

See it if you enjoy clubbin and drag shows

Don't see it if you are looking for a straightforward musical or can't stnad for long periods of time

Ambitious, Confusing, Disappointing, Overrated, Indulgent

See it if Like loud music that drowns out dialogue.

Don't see it if You like to understand dialogue.

Entertaining, Funny, Raunchy

See it if If you like sensual lyrics,dancing and behavior.It was definitely for adults only.From the start of this to the end,it was sexually explicit

Don't see it if If you are a prude.It has quite a bit of sexuality to the dancing and singing.

Absorbing, Entertaining, Great singing, Must see, Quirky

See it if you want the best fusion of a musical, a concert, and a drag show that I've ever seen. I'm going again ASAP.

Don't see it if you're looking for a standard staging/show, or can't handle loud music.

Confusing, Dizzying, Edgy, Raunchy, Riveting

See it if You enjoy modern retellings of classic works; this is an electro-pop version of Shakespeare's Anthony and Cleopatra.

Don't see it if You are nervous about immersive performance (dancers are IN the crowd, you become a dancer too) and are bored by hairography as choreography Read more

Confusing, Disappointing, Great singing, Hi-end nightclub/lo-end theater

See it if you're big into nightclubs & the party scene. You care more about entertainment than theater. You're a big Dusty Ray Bottoms fan.

Don't see it if you're expecting traditional theater, real acting, or a plot that holds together. You're ok standing 90 min (or almost 2 hrs - starts late). Read more

Critic Reviews (2)

"Billed as an immersive pop-musical experience, the show is less a full-fledged tuner than a glorified club concert...Inebriated audiences are invited to party like it's Nineteen-Ninety-Nile as quiptastic 'RuPaul's Drag Race' favorite Dusty Ray Bottoms emcees sexy interactive games, Nya belts like Beyoncé, and a sweaty multicultural chorus performs JT Horenstein's athletic moves...As dance-laugh-and-drink-the-night-away theatrical attractions go, 'Cleopatra' is campy fun."
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“’Cleopatra’ is equal parts drag show, pop concert, and Broadway musical, and, though it has some rough edges, it is surely a good time...Overall, Horenstein nails the punchy format of a pop concert but neglects to create more intimate theatrical moments of tension and passion between the play’s lead roles...’Cleopatra’ is a good time that should get even better as logistical kinks are ironed out, and perhaps some dramatic scenes are more fully realized.”
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