Julius Caesar

Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears; 

I come to bury Caesar, not to praise him. 

– Marc Antony

Shakespeare’s political epic Julius Caesar charts the intrigue, turmoil and betrayal surrounding the conspiracy to assassinate “the noblest Roman of them all” and the ensuing bloody aftermath. Following the success of the sold-out King Lear, the Melbourne Shakespeare Company presents an enthralling contemporary re-imagining of the downfall of the legendary Roman general, politician and dictator who shaped power constructs for millennia.

Julius Caesar opens with the Roman citizenry celebrating the triumph of their leader, who has returned from defeating Pompey. Celebrations are marred when a lurking soothsayer forewarns Caesar to beware of the Ides of March. Tensions begin to bubble when Cassius and Brutus, two of Caesar’s supposed loyal men, plot to overthrow and murder Caesar for the good of the people. Convinced that Caesar will accept the crown of Rome – despite rejecting it thrice – they rally the mob and its thirst for violence grows. The next day, Caesar’s wife Calpurnia dreams of a bleeding statue and begs Caesar to not go to the Senate yet her appeals fall on deaf ears. Caesar enters the Senate and is promptly assassinated by the conspirators, and Brutus drives the last blade. Chaos descends. Marc Antony – through a superb and dramatic monologue by Natasha Herbert – mourns Caesar’s dead body and laments that Caesar was ambitious and Brutus an honourable man. The final act focuses on the civil war with Marc Antony and Caesar’s adopted son, Octavius, meeting Brutus at the Battle of Philippi. Sensing imminent defeat, Cassius and Brutus, through their servants’ help or by their own blade, end their lives.

Melbourne Shakespeare Company’s Julius Caesar is masterful, electric, compelling, and simply, unforgettable. Those who are unfamiliar with this work may assume that it is the story of Julius Caesar, but the plot is much more about the fall of the Roman Republic and alludes to the first days of the Roman Empire, with the inclusion of Octavius (the first Roman Emperor). Central themes of power, politics and citizenry, while depicted through events that occurred over two thousand years ago, are suited to our times.

Director Richard Murphet and production designer Dale Ferguson execute a stellar job in imbuing a sense of looming pandemonium through stirring music and lighting, re-creating the violence and chaos at the Senate and the public streets in Ancient Rome. The ensemble cast was exceptional, with props to Matthew Connell as Brutus, Mark Wilson as Cassius, Natasha Herbert as Marc Antony and Hunter Perske as Julius Caesar. A special shout-out goes to This is Living’s Michelle Perera as Julius Caesar’s widow Calpurnia, donning a fierce and sombre mourning look. Overall, the costume design was smart, fashionable and effective, with the Roman senators sporting clothing perfect for a wine tour in the Yarra Valley.

Julius Caesar is on stage until Sunday 3 September at fortyfivedownstairs.

Images: Chelsea Neate