ScotsGay Magazine

****

Reducing the Shakespearean classic to a lean 1 hour is a monumental task, but the Essex University cast carry off well. This big budget number had all the splendour of Rome, and the costumes and lighting were lavish. The actors kept the bits we all know; the dogs of war were slipped, the friends, Romans and countrymen lent their ears, the Ides of March had come and gone. The core was there, and superbly done by and large. Mark Anthony and Brutus excelled, (though maybe that’s just because I thought they were drop-dead gorgeous and was hanging onto their every word) and the power and gravitas of the script was transmitted admirably. Caesar, an actor about a head taller than all the other players, had the real air of Imperial pomp and majesty, especially against the backdrop of Cassius and Sinna, scuttling behind him. The company made a witty move turning Shakespeare’s own convention on its head and having girls play some of the lesser male characters, the soothsayer, messengers etc. However, the main female parts like Calpernia and Portia were rather poorly executed when I viewed them, and didn’t elicit the sympathy they seemed to be trying for. The actors also brought a new angle to much of the script, using to full advantage their tech crew and the size of their cast. One was reminded of both ‘300’, and ‘28 Days Later’ during the battle and mob scenes respectively, which worked rather well. Violence is very hard to show on stage without becoming either farcical or dangerous, and the subtle shifts in light and music gave a terrifying reality to what otherwise might have seemed gratuitous. However, at the last it perhaps felt as if the company had lost something. Perhaps this was inevitable. They say always leave them wanting more, but I felt I hadn’t had the full experience. This is one of the Bard’s masterworks, and I wanted it all. And there were points I noticed where I could have had more, at the expense of some choreography or modern allusion. I wanted the actors to put their faith in the genius of the playwright more than the genius of the theatre technician, and I sometimes felt as if they got it the wrong way round. However, make no mistake, this is a minor complaint from a purist. And if these fellows decide to do the whole thing, I will be first in line to buy a ticket.

Sam Wheeler

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