![]() ![]() ![]() The arguments between Brutus and Cassius about the rights and wrongs of both political and military decisions by Brutus that will have life changing impact on the world of Rome feel, as one watches this play proceed, like turning on the news every night at the moment. Hutson’s portrayal of political idealism informed by his own feelings of anger, humiliation by Caesar and ambition are a strong core to the proceedings. Their difficulties with each other remind one of the internecine factional fighting in the Conservative and Labour parties of our own day. Martin Hutson’s manipulative, impressively intellectual Cassius becomes a central tragic figure by the time he ends his own life, a man who perhaps should not have deferred to Brutus but should simply have led the assassination plot himself. The funeral orations over the body of Julius Caesar are the central moments of the play, as they should be. ![]() He too seems to develop in political and military wiliness as the story progresses. James Corrigan as Antony gives a memorable performance of a playboy warrior, of a man shocked into having to rise to the events of his time. He develops as a character throughout the play. Alex Waldmann is a confused, tormented, neurotic and, at times, even a self-deceiving Brutus, yet he is a sympathetic character torn between his love and admirations for Caesar and his belief that he must somehow save the Republic, even if it means betraying his own moral beliefs. He portrays confidently the charisma and the slightly terrifying power of personality that one would expect from a man who has just made himself Dictator for Life of Rome. Andrew Woodall’s portrayal of Julius Caesar in his last days dominates as he should he is the pivotal if not the central character and his re-appearance as a ghost confirms this sense of his centrality, reminds us why the play is named after him. Visually the productions are also consistent and attractive, simple yet evocative of the grandeur that was Rome and the opulence that was Egypt.ĭirecting Julius Caesar, Angus Jackson displays a brilliant sense of stagecraft and movement a deep understanding of the psychology of his characters a sure sense of their body language and physical presentation of themselves and he gets strong, believable and memorable performances from just about everyone in his cast. I was very excited by my long day in Stratford and found that both plays are performed with a clarity and dramatic flair that are exemplary and both are brilliantly directed, without any tricks of updating or other impositions. The wilful gambling, the polarized debates, the desire for power are all there – and the simple human failings, the hubris, the errors of judgment that can destroy. Nothing is forced, but it is very easy to hear the echoes in these dramas of the politics being played out in today’s headlines and on your television news broadcasts every evening: the internecine struggles, the civil wars, the juggling for position and power and there is even in this portrayal of Julius Caesar, an image of refugees fleeing across the stage from the Roman civil war and its devastation and cruelty. The thing they share so far is a clear awareness that human nature and politics have simply not changed in two millennia and that we can learn about the mistakes of the past to illuminate those of the present. The Roman Plays Season (including Coriolanus and Ti tus Andronicus) share one designer and take a collaborative look at these epic Shakespearean dramas. Essentially, you are seeing the continuation of the same story in the evening and the whole event is no longer thansitting through all of Angels in America. I saw the RSC productions of Julius Caesar and Antony and Cleopatra back to back, matinee and evening, last week. Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford-on-Avon ![]()
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