The story of Julius Caesar is one that many of us are familiar with. Shakespeare’s mind took the Roman tragedy and turned it into a play of power, leaving the audience in a position where they could infer their own ideologies of what was presented before them. In the uncertain times we live in, with disordered politics and a changing society, Atri Banjeree’s modern production of Julius Caesar will leave your mind hectic with thoughts, just as Shakespeare would have intended.
Entering the auditorium, an ominous black box on the stage already rumbled up questions. The night began with the Community Chorus, six women from Norwich joining the cast of the production. After blowing out the lights to open the play, they were joined on stage by an array of people, all dressed in modern clothes. It was apparent that they were all from different professions, ranging from the military to the emergency services and then of course, the classic office job. The director has been sure to make it apparent that this is not a traditional portrayal of the Roman characters, with the contemporary fashion making it much more relatable to those of us in the audience. As the group assembles into a pack, Mark Antony, played by William Robinson, let out a violent howl, further adding to the disorder, confusion and anarchy on stage.
The opening, whilst without any dialogue, cleverly established how Caesar was the ‘leader,’ as the cast on stage began to circle him, dancing around. With a deep bass like a heartbeat ricocheting through the room, the whole audience could feel the suspense build up, as you notice Brutus and Cassius observe the worshipping of Caesar in the background. It was after this interesting start, that Shakespeare’s words were spoken on the stage.
Gender was stripped away from the play. There was an amalgamation of pronouns, and the use of the word ‘man’ and ‘woman’ was not directed towards any one person. This, combined with a sparse set, and a lack of props used on stage made the actions and dialogue the sole focus of the audience. This enabled all audience members to identify with any characters they wanted. It is clear that the political message is still the most important part of this play, and the RSC has beautifully made it the focus by taking away any walls that block it from coming through.
The end of part one saw the end of Caesars life, after scenes of plotting and scheming, conveying the emotional toil it had on each character. This was when black blood first made an appearance, something that did not leave for rest of the play. Up to the audience’s own interpretation, this blood could have been anything – one idea being that it could be representing oil and the climate crisis. There were no props used for his death, nor are there any throughout the rest of the play. All of the actions were mimed, and the blood, the only tangible thing, was spread from their hands; another political message? Once again up for the audience’s interpretation. As we moved into the second half, people started dropping like flies. Yet throughout, there are no dead bodies left on the stage, such as Caesars body being replaced with nothing but a ‘blood’ soaked shirt.
As mentioned above, the blood stayed throughout the rest of the play. The stains from what had happened at the end of part one was a reminder to the audience of Caesar’s death, and how his death followed everyone to their own end. This end was shown using the black box, as it was turned into some sort of afterlife, where the deceased cast finally had an outfit change into bright coloured clothes. Here, they watched the rest of the play fall into further chaos, until Brutus’ death, caused by them running into their own blade held by Lucius.
The acting in this play was very well done. Brutus, played by Thalissa Teixeira, did an exceptional job. Working with Cassius, they both conveyed emotion and remembered and delivered some impressive monologues and dialogues. There was a powerful performance from Caesar, played by Nigel Barrett, and Mark Antony, played by William Robinson did an outstanding job. They all told the story well, which they had to, given the lack of set and props. As a play, the RSC relied completely on the performance – with nowhere to hide any slip ups in it – and they all did a very good job. There was use of silence and sign language on stage throughout the play. Lucius, played by Jamal Ajala, and the actors who worked with him, did a great job incorporating it and it was very moving and powerful, adding to the diversity of this already diverse play.
Overall, the reaction from the audience was positive, with a few laughs heard, despite the tragedy of the play. The performance left the audience in discussion as they left the theatre, and it is safe to say that the RSC has successfully created a politic message, or messages, which can be interpreted in different ways.
By Cameron Noble
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