EXCERPT: “RSC Artistic Director
Designate Gregory Doran has tried to negotiate a balance between his African
vision and a more traditional reading of Shakespeare’s play, and in doing so
has failed to do anything more radical than provide hints of the production’s
potential to be colourful and exciting.”
Julius Caesar appears to be all the trend right now. Part
of the RSC’s World Shakespeare Festival at the West End, another version comes
to the ENO in October this year and, contentiously with an all female cast, to
the Donmar in early 2013. The RSC’s reworking of the classic political thriller
– where leader Caesar is assassinated and questions about the inevitability of
flattery, ambition and dictatorship abound – is set in modern Africa and
performed by an all black cast. Quite apart from being commendable for
diversifying the average West End audience considerably – young and black – this interpretation doesn’t
feel at all gratuitous or superfluous but entirely appropriate and valid given
the continent’s long history of dictatorship.
The African dancing and singing
adds a wonderful zest to the play’s slightly bland opening and I only wish we
had seen more of that sort of thing as the play progressed. Acting is generally
strong – despite a couple of dodgy accent slips – and Brutus (Paterson Joseph)
and Mark Antony (Ray Fearon)’s performances of the key speeches at the start of
the second act are powerfully compelling (as they frankly should be given the
quality Shakespeare provides his orators with).
The rest of the play however
limps along at times, neither impressive or emotionally engaging enough to
fully sustain attention for what is a very long play. I would have liked to see
a more physical, visual and aural interpretation of the play – in short, a more
African-ated production. Instead, RSC Artistic Director Designate Gregory Doran
has tried to negotiate a balance between his African vision and a more traditional
reading of Shakespeare’s play, and in doing so has failed to do anything more
radical than provide hints of the production’s potential to be colourful and
exciting.
To find out more about this
production and buy tickets for it, please go to the RSC’s Julius Caesar page.
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