Southwark Playhouse Borough
An almost video game like production of Julius Caesar and he's a hologram?
This production of Julius Caesar is very tech heavy. The show gains a star for the cast's ability to stay in time and match their lines to the subtitles 90% of the time. It was marvellous to see a production that is as inclusive as it is, the subtitles help those with hearing issues have the full show! Rather than having to struggle lip reading. It is a futuristic version of Caesar, that at times will make you cringe in your seat. You do find yourself questioning how it is so futuristic, but Caesar the hologram is killed by being stabbed with a dagger? A huge opportunity for something unique wasted.
The show opens with the hologram of Caesar, this was quite interesting and you're part expecting him to come out of the doors after, this could have been strong. However, going from this high energy, strong monologue to the group coming on stage drops the energy. The cast played strong, biker/Viking characteristics and Rowan Winter playing Brutus as a female was genuinely very empowering. She lead the cast and her strength mixed with femininity was refreshing, this was an effective decision made from the director Max Lewendal. However, Brutus' wife 'Portia' played by Gabrielle Sheppard had minimal chemistry and her character and relationship did not seem to bring much depth or emotion. When Portia passes the grief of Brutus is not convincing, nor do the audience have the connection to the character to feel emotion when she passes.
Caesar is a popular Shakespeare piece, that has been put on for many years and the modernisation of the show takes away the power of the production. The inclusion of social media: live streams, sending messages and video calls makes the audience cringe. Although, the tech is strong and impressive, it does not bring value to the production. When there is an event people's comments of the event pop up on the screen and one was #notmyemporer and the comments like this just make the audience feel uncomfortable. The whole message sending and tech heavy futuristic moments, do not feel like they are consistent throughout and there are moments where it still feels set in the past and it does not make sense. The use of daggers, although it is symbolic of being stabbed in the back (betrayed), the contrast with the hologram and the use of guns near the end of act two again just highlights an opportunity for a strong, authentic and interesting use of their concept that is wasted.
On the other hand, the images they create are intriguing. The use of set was different. They used mirrors in a circle and the projection to create portals, where they could go into a social media/internet world and connect with the other characters. This was very clever and looked impressive. You could not understand how they did it and it looked real. The way the cast used the tech as well, in terms of the swiping and the way they connected with the videos was slick and well done, you could grasp the relationship and feelings towards moments! This was unique.
The cast showed some interesting acting skills. James Heatlie as Mark Anthony was one of the most believable characters. He brought power to his character and the moment he enters the stage with Caesars blood drenched coat was moving. The way you can see how Caesars passing has effected him and the disgust with the betrayal of those who murdered Caesar. However, one moment that took the value from his character was one of his monologues they show fire on the screens behind him, whilst this added to the drama, it devalued the performance he gave. Michael Skellern who plays Cassius was not given enough stage time, he plays the sly and scheming character well, however, it does not feel he was given the full opportunity to deepen his dark and snake of character. The acting over all was a good, average level, however, the character arcs were not very compelling or clear and sometimes the characters did not fully commit to their powerful emotions. The comedy elements of the show were also lost, I think there was only one thing I laughed at and it was quickly glossed over.
All in all the production and it's concept were on paper very interesting. However, the execution was not very strong. As Shakespeares plays have been shown and adapted for centuries it is difficult to put on a ground breaking new concept, because they have all been shown so much and in an array of different ways. Personally, I feel sticking to what Shakespeare created and the period makes the show strong, because it has such a firm place in theatre history and you can appreciate it for what it is. The tech, sound and lighting team did an absolutely amazing job at bringing this piece to life and creating a new world. Alot of hard work clearly went into teching the show perfectly and it paid off. This show would have been more interesting if they had explored the futuristic world they created deeper and were more consistent. The video game feel could have also been explored, especially in the conflict scenes, it could have been really interesting! If you appreciate tech production elements then this show is an interesting watch!
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