Julius Caesar
The play Julius Caesar while often taught to students as one of the many history plays is in fact categorized as a tragedy. Yet unlike Hamlet and Macbeth, the title character is neither this play’s protagonist nor the truly tragic figure. The real tragedy revolves around Marcus Brutus (J.R. Esposito) and how his patriotic love is misused by the enemies of Caesar lead by his “friend” Caius Cassius (Lovelle Liquigan).
The Declan Adams Theatre Company presents their take on this epic play of ambition, love and betrayal that rings as potent now as it did when the audiences of Queen Elizabeth first set eyes and ears on it. A cast of 14 take on the 30 plus roles giving the play a very intimate feel and are lead by director Erwin Tuazon, who also plays Calpurnia. The main casting is gender-reversed with women in two of the major leads – Cassius and Caesar – and male actors taking some of the smaller women roles. While an interesting convention, it seems very little is gained in the gender bending, as no new layers in these relationships form as a result of the sexes being inverted.
The setting of the play is a non-descript modern era. The set, designed by Frank Astran, is a series of stark gray walls with a central platform that was only used during Ceasar’s visit to the Senate and during the “Friends, Romans, Countrymen” scene. And the costuming is all simple modern attire from suits to Ceaser’s plain white dress. This lack of spectacle creates a world very much like Shakespeare’s own, where the focus becomes the actors and the language of the piece.
This is where the play breaks into two camps – the truly great and the just okay. Overall, the play contains far too much yelling and there are long moments where it is hard to tell what is happening, or where we are meant to be. An example of this is the conspirators coming to Brutus and Portia’s home at 3 am – if the dialogue didn’t tell us this is the setting, the actions of those onstage certainly would not have. Yet on the flip side, there are a few amazing performances such as Liquigan as Cassius, who creates a mesmerizing, Lady Macbeth level manipulator and Esposito as Brutus, who transforms from heartbreaking to decisive leader without batting an eye. Jessica Temple plays the mighty Caesar, and this a ruler where you feel the pull of ambition versus duty to the state.
While not this company’s best work to date, there are some bold choices made in this production and continuing to support this young company can only breed better and better things from them. The performances of just a few members of this versatile company are worth the price of a night at the theatre.
Julius Caesaris now playing at The Powerhouse Theatre 3116 2nd Street in South Santa Monica through September 27th. For tickets and more information, call (760) 877-0630.