WE SHOULD TOTALLY JUST STAB CAESAR!

By Trisha Cusack ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | Press Invite

Julius Caesar is arguably one of Shakespeare’s most well-known plays – at least by name. The plot itself is vaguely understood to be one of political and literal backstabbing for reasons best explained by Gretchen Weiners in Mean Girls. With this background knowledge, we embarked to Stoke Newington to watch director Olivia Chakraborty’s version of the classic at the Tower Theatre.

We enter a theatre with stripped back staging. Rather than a raised stage, the audience encircles the cast, which gives a rather fittingly amphitheatre-like feel. To make up for the lack of décor, lighting and soundscapes is done tastefully and brings the right level of atmosphere and intensity to the play.

This rendition attempts to modernise the play by setting it in contemporary London rather than Ancient Rome. This sometimes lands, but with the stripped back staging, it didn’t have much bearing on the show. At the very least, it wasn’t a noticeable change, particularly during the war scenes in the second act, which could have been anywhere. This isn’t a criticism by any means, as I’m glad they didn’t try to modernise it too much.

Kitted out in sharp suits, rather than togas, the ‘Roman Senate’ may look differently in today’s world but it is certainly no less messy. Using the original Shakespearean script, the main cast delivers a searing performance so impassioned the audience can see the spit flying. Marc Anthony (Joe Davidson), Cassius (James Collins), and Brutus (Arthur O’Kelly) are stand outs for their delivery of long passages of script, which is no mean feat considering the dense language. Their ability to portray these complex characters was impressive and it was difficult to know who to root for. Admittedly, it was at times hard to follow exactly what they were saying but this can be more attributed to Shakespeare rather than the cast or team.

One concern with Shakespearean plays is whether performers just end up reciting the script, rather than actually acting. This is managed quite well, although not flawlessly. The primary characters, as mentioned already, are standouts, along with the titular Julius Caesar, played by Zac Sargusingh. However, there were varying degrees of talent among the supporting cast, reflecting Tower Theatre Company being a non-professional company and that they are still learning the craft.

Overall, Julius Caesar is a strong production. The casting of the main characters overrides any let downs of the wider cast. One takeaway for me was the importance of good oration. While it felt a little long at 2 hours and 45 minutes, including interval, that has more to do with the original play than this iteration specifically. If you’re looking to dip your toe into Shakespeare, a trip to the Tower Theatre is certainly a good place to start.

Julius Caesr is running at Tower Theatre until Saturday 27 June.

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Photo Credit: Marc Gascoigne