This trimmed down version of Shakespeares play is interestingly staged and mostly powerfully performed by Exeter University Theatre Company. The original is very long and has the second largest dramatic personae in the entire canon, so these guys achieve minor miracles with an ensemble of fifteen.
Perhaps their greatest achievement is to avoid Life Of Brian Syndrome even though they are wearing togas. Theres a simplicity and dignity even grandeur to the simple design, and the use of a powerful original score by Mark Barnard (who also plays Brutus) is very impressive.
The adaptation is for the most part clear and quite clever. I particularly liked the fact that our way into this tale (of how a group of Roman noblemen conspired to successfully kill Julius Caesar) is through the character of Cassius, not Brutus. Once he has planted the idea amongst his fellow conspirators, the action fairly tumbles along and the scenes are intercut in a clever, filmic style (apart from a rather passionless and dull scene between Brutus and his wife Portia). By the time we get to the assassination, there is palpable tension in the room (extraordinary considering we all know whats going to happen).
Or do we? The highlight of this piece is the extraordinary twist they give the assassination of Oli Holmes impressively dignified Caesar. It flies in the face of the historical account, but it makes complete sense. The subsequent murder of the innocent Cinna The Poet is also the most terrifying I have seen.
Unfortunately this is the peak of the production. Although the battles are simply and effectively staged, I think the adaptation from this point does no favours for an audience who doesnt already know the play. There is no sense of location for the two entrenched opposing sides in the civil war who is in Rome, who is outside and where? What happened to Lepidus? How did Anthony and Octavius become partners in battle? When Marc Anthony and Cassius fight to the latters death it is not only not historically (or Shakespearianly!) accurate, it is confusing. That said the show rouses itself for a powerful final tableau, and as a whole has interesting things to say about the nature of power.
In their press release the company say they have paid particular attention to the language. There is some impressive verse speaking, but the biggest downer on this show is the amount of screaming and screeching that is going on. I feared the worst early on when these young men started talking in hoarse and growly tones, and the reason for this soon became apparent, as several actors, especially Nick Stewart as Anthony shouted and mangled some of the greatest lines ever written. Really, these words are so powerful an actor adds nothing by screaming them, off vocal support with pink flushed faces and bulging veins. Nothing; rather the opposite. Director Joe Murphy, who has done a superb job of the staging, needs to tell his young cast this.
Also, for a company that says its paying close attention to the language, please note the following:
Eer is pronounced air not ear; Lupercal is pronounced, well Lupercal, Ate is pronounced Art-ey, Cimber is pronounced Simber, Decius is pronounced Deesius, schedule is pronounced shedule, Nervii is pronoiunced Nerv-ee-eye and any verb ending with st such as sleepst does not require an extra syllable as in sleepest or the line wont scan.
You wont believe how much fun I am at parties.
