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Peer Reviews Julius Caesar By William Shakespeare Reviewed by Cory Vaughn Entire contents copyright © 2008 Cory Vaughn. All rights reserved.
Kentucky Shakespeare Festival's production of Julius Caesar follows a burgeoning trend of transplanting Shakespeare into a setting where it doesn't really belong. Within just a few years of each other, Hollywood produced film versions of Hamlet in both present-day NYC and Tsarist Russia. A recent production of As You Like It by Actors Theatre was set in our very own bluegrass state! Now, here's Julius Caesar with Japan subbing for Rome. It's a novel concept. Caesar does, after all, have themes in common with the legends of the shogun and the samurai — honor, loyalty, betrayal — and it allows director Pamela DiPasquale to experiment with a number of old Japanese theatrical effects, and to clothe the assassins in Ninja garb (what else?). Yet setting Caesar in Japan doesn't essentially alter the story or the motivations of the characters, nor shed any new light on them. When the production succeeds, which it does frequently, it is due more to changes in the script than to those in the setting. This is a nicely pruned version of the story: distracting scenes and minor characters are sacrificed to tell a more focused story of Caesar's growing power and the plot on his life by those closest to him. This tighter focus heightens the momentum as the tragedy spins uncontrollably toward its inevitable climax. Example: Shakespeare's opening, featuring two characters we never see again and never care about, is replaced by the first sudden appearance of the mysterious Soothsayer, warning, "Beware the Ides of March," as Caesar makes his triumphal entry through the audience. It makes for an overall stronger opening, and Ms. DiPasquale matches it later with an Act I closer that's too eerily effective to spoil. Let's just call it a perfect example of how to use a foreshadowing to create an atmosphere of dramatic irony and do it right! Leading the cast of seven actors and two musicians are Dmetrius Conley-Williams and Dathan Hooper as the chief conspirators, scheming and raspy-voiced zealot Cassius and the more reluctant Brutus, respectively. Brian Hinds, as an appropriately imperious Caesar, is such a palpable presence that the doomed demagogue's very shadow lingers over the entire play, even after his death (yes, that was a clue). David Bianco is a particular standout as a wily Mark Antony (even if, at first glance, he seems rather young for the part). Dana Block, Carney Gray and Tiffany LaVoie round out the cast, switching characters at lightning speed through subtle changes in costume and voice inflection. Only problem: none of these characters really stick in your memory; it is often a chore to figure out who is playing whom when. This results in a great deal of confusion, especially during the climactic battle, despite Carrie A. Nath's exciting choreography. The designs are a mixed bag. Michelle Bombe's costumes are great and they establish a surprisingly vibrant palette out of mostly reds and blacks, and lighting designer Casey Clark underscores the characters' inner turmoil by casting eerie shadows onto the geisha-house screens. Less successful is Michael Boso's sound design; crucial speeches by Brutus and Antony were utterly drowned out by distracting offstage moans. Caesar's death is depicted cleanly and conventionally, using a trick you've seen before if you saw The Lion King last summer. These shortcomings are minor, and the streamlined Julius Caesar makes for an exciting opening to the Kentucky Shakespeare Festival's season. Grab your Cliff's Notes, a can of insect repellant and an umbrella, and catch it while you can.
Julius Caesar Admission is FREE. Information: (502) 637-4933 Posted June 25, 2008
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