Written by William
Shakespeare
Directed by James
Evans
Bell Shakespeare
The Playhouse,
Canberra Theatre Centre to 20 October
Reviewed by Len Power
12 October 2018
Taking place in a dystopian world before a soulless industrial
setting, James Evans’ production of ‘Julius Caesar’ has a reality that seems
frighteningly close to our current political and social situation.
Written in about 1599, Shakespeare’s history play presents
the political machinations that led to the assassination of Rome’s Julius
Caesar and the aftermath of that act.
The characters involved in the assassination strongly believe their
actions are justified but the citizens of Rome are turned against them by
Caesar’s loyal friend and ally, Mark Antony.
The major characters in this production are well acted. At the opening night, James Evans, the
director, performed the large role of Brutus at short notice and was very
effective. Nick Simpson-Deeks was a fine
Cassius, convincing in his arguments to encourage Brutus to join the conspirators.
Sara Zwangobani gave a commanding and charismatic
performance in the usually male role of Mark Antony. Her ‘Friends, Romans, Countrymen’ speech was
especially well played. Kenneth Ransom
had a strong presence as Julius Caesar and Maryanne Fonceca gave an appealing and
believable performance as Portia, the wife of Brutus. There were uneven performances by some of the
other actors in the show with lines recited without depth, especially early in
the play.
The striking set design by Anna Tregloan works very
well. Providing the blank canvas for the
characters to smear the word ‘Freedom’ in blood after the assassination was
inspired and the atmosphere created in conjunction with Verity Hampson’s
lighting design during the battle in the second act was very effective. Nate Edmondson’s music and sound design added
nicely to the atmosphere of the set and lighting design.
The dystopian world created by James Evans’ production is
stark and uncompromising. It’s a fine production that works well even if
it is discomforting. The fear for an
audience is that a world like this may not be so far away from our own. With our current political situation, maybe
we’re there already and just refuse to recognize it.
Len Power’s reviews
are also broadcast on his ‘On Stage’ performing arts radio program on Mondays
and Wednesdays from 3.30pm on Artsound FM 92.7.
