The National Theatre’s live-streaming policy is bizarre

The National’s bizarre livestreaming service continues. On 7 May, for one week only, it released a modern-dress version of Antony and Cleopatra set in a series of strategy rooms, conference centres and five-star hotel suites. The lovestruck Roman was played by a louche, gruff, brooding Ralph Fiennes. Why is this man so watchable? He lacks the least mark of distinction. Face, height, physique and vocal ability are all in the middling range. In real life he could easily have assumed the role of the research assistant’s deputy. Perhaps it’s the Reggie Perrin ordinariness that makes his presence bewitching.

Shakespeare was on unusually patchy form when he assembled this huge, rambling history play. He gave the lead characters some of his most sublime poetry but he found little inspiration in minor personalities like Agrippa, Octavia, Maecenas and Octavian (the future Augustus). He seemed happy to create a series of planks and dullards. Nicholas Le Prevost did a good job with Lepidus and turned him into an amiable oddball. Fabulous Sophie Okonedo delivered a drunken, flighty Cleopatra who managed to be comical, but never silly, and majestic but never dictatorial. She was nearly upstaged by her wardrobe once or twice. A green velvet outfit with wizardy ciphers in silver looked like a summer hit. For the death scene she wore a devastatingly simple off-white gown. Her outstanding costume was a full-length gold frock with pleated flounces whose parallels rippled across her figure every time she moved.

‘Inspired by Beyoncé,’ said the NT’s monitor in reply to viewers who posted questions about Cleopatra’s togs during the broadcast. What the monitor couldn’t explain is the theatre’s streaming policy. A new show is made available each week but the rest of the archive is automatically blocked.