Gripping portrayal of subterfuge, betrayal and conflicting loyalties
Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare performed by the RSC at The Other Place, Wednesday 11 November, running until 28 November 2026. Directed by Phyllida Lloyd.
Review by Charles Essex.
This energetic production of Julius Caesar was part of the RSC’s ‘First Encounters with Shakespeare’ initiative to bring Shakespeare’s plays to children and young people, having toured widely among demographic groups who do not have opportunities to access theatre. Director Phyllida Lloyd was outstanding in
portraying this Shakespeare classic as a one act play in 90 minutes.
The all-female cast took several roles, from named characters to ensemble. Harriet Walters reprised her role as Brutus from the original 2012 production, and her portrayal of Brutus’ emotional conflict between loyalty to Rome and the prospect of murdering Caesar to prevent an autocratic despot becoming king was visceral.
Arguments raged back and forth between Brutus and Cassius, brilliantly acted by Jenny Jules, each with their feelings sometimes divergent, sometimes in unison, kept the audience fully engaged. Jackie Clune gave Caesar an assured confidence which, if we did not know Caesar’s fate, would have persuaded us that he was a shoe-in as leader.
Portia (Shalisha James-Davis) and Calpurnia (Kosar Ali), the wives of Brutus and Caesar, respectively, entreated their husbands to exercise caution with real emotion. Their pleadings were ignored, a theme which was a backstory to the production as the cast had regularly visited New Hall Women’s Prison near Huddersfield to draw on the experiences of the female inmates and their lived experiences of being dominated, ignored and abused. This was reflected in a couple of scenes in which ‘prison warders’ entered the stage to intervene in ‘conflict’ between the actors, and usher them off stage at the end, which was worthy but did not augment the play.
The costuming, often with grey hoodies and tracksuit bottoms, and Zeynep Kepekli’s lighting enhanced the dark machinations and betrayal. A particularly inventive moment was a late-night meeting at Brutus’s house, in which the actors’ faces were lit solely by handheld lights, heightening the conspiratorial subterfuge. The cast were flawless in the group scenes, with movement directors Ann Yee and Carolina Valdés using the theatre-in-the-round to full effect.
This production did what it said on the tin, namely it made Shakespeare accessible in an understandable and engaging way to audiences who have little or no experience of theatre and the arts.
For further details and tickets: https://www.rsc.org.uk/first-encounters-julius-caesar-2026/
Comments