This Julius Caesar needs a flicker of hellfire
Oh for a bloody toga.
These days, companies choosing to mount Shakespeare’s “Julius Caesar” tend to eschew what we think of as traditional Roman dress for things modern and military.
It has to do, I suppose, with reminding us political intrigue, mendacity and the sort of politics that make for gripping headlines are so contemporary they’re right out of today’s news, not just Shakespeare’s plays.
In New York recently, that city’s prestigious Public Theatre mounted a highly regarded, yet wildly controversial version of Caesar in Central Park with an actor resembling President Trump performing the title role. Folks got the point. So did financial backers.
Major sponsors of the show withdrew their money fearing fallout.
No matter, audiences cheered, celebrating the way Shakespeare’s drama retained its look at tyrants, even if they were wearing expensive Brooks Brothers suits.
Shakespeare’s vision went beyond draped costumes and laurel wreathes.
Hamilton director Ryan Sero has seen fit to have his cast tug on togas in his Make Art Theatre version of Shakespeare’s play.
Limp togas or not, all kudos to this small company for their bravery mounting a difficult Shakespearean play. Praise, too, for the way the Bard’s text was mostly spoken with crystal clear enunciation and due regard for its inherent poetry.
A hard-working ensemble of 10 managed the play’s rangy scenes, playing multiple roles. Sometimes this economical device led to some confusion as to which characters were on stage.
Performed in a bare room, in white light, the production had an intimate quality that forced us to the very heart of the play. Surviving on the mostly young performers’ energy and spirit, it connected in an up-close, personal way.
In a conversation before the show, Sero said, “I selected ‘Julius Caesar’ because it’s a play about political upheaval and we are in such political times. Ultimately, we decided to keep the original setting so that it didn’t become allegorical (Caesar does not equal Trump), but we want people to see harbingers of the present in echoes of the past. Perhaps audiences will see Caesar as a Trump-type egomaniac, clutching for power. They might also consider Brutus, Cassius and the other conspirators as freedom fighters, or terrorists, or an alt-right mob. We want people to get thinking about politics without getting heavy-handed about it.”
These echoes certainly reverberate in Sero’s smartly directed production.
In the disciplined cast some voices and figures stand out.
Colin Stevens is a proud and elegant Caesar, unafraid of those worrisome warnings about the Ides of March and sudden portent of horror.
He speaks the classical verse with a warm, rich voice, never forcing volume or tone. A tall handsome figure, he dominates his scenes with a feel for the character’s thrill in owning power.
Tyler Brent’s Brutus frequently matches him, prompting a darker thread of mistrust even as he tries to rally support for bloodletting and assassination.
Adam Lemieux lends stature and presence to several roles, especially Casca and Octavius, and Scott Buchanan is a sturdy Trebonius and Pindarus.
Sean Emberley tends to break lines in odd places, throwing off rhythm and dropping his voice so that it is difficult to hear. Similarly, Laura Welch as Portia pitches her voice too high for clarity.
It was a brave notion to have Vicktoria Adam play Mark Anthony. The problem is, in spite of a handsome presence, her voice isn’t sturdy enough to effectively manage those familiar soliloquies. Cross-gender casting can work. It did, brilliantly, in an all-female “Julius Caesar” at London’s Donmar Warehouse several seasons ago. Unfortunately, it doesn’t quite happen here.
Director Sero, has a fine sense of choreography, staging the play with attractive groupings pleasing to the eye. When he has Caesar’s ghost lead away spent bodies in Act 2, it’s dramatically moving, but also cunning for the way it clears the space of corpses.
If Sero’s adaptation of the play works best in the first act, it’s because the action there is more focused and scenes are better developed.
Given how effective this straightforward, economical production is, it’s probably churlish to wish for a “Julius Caesar” that is more daring: more brutal, more seductive in the way it suggests evil is spawned from power, jealousy and greed.
This Caesar has less hellfire than that. Those white togas remain clean and pristine, no blood stains, right to the end.
Gary Smith has written on theatre and dance for The Hamilton Spectator for more than 35 years.