When in Rome...

Theatre II tackled Shakespeare’s ‘Julius Caesar’ last week

By Lindsay Casale, staff writer
Posted on November 19, 2007

The lights came up on a cluster of actors gathered around a guitarist, jovially singing Queen’s hit, “Don’t Stop Me Now,” in full Roman garb. This unique  choice set the tone for Theatre II’s “Julius Caesar.”

Director Natasha Solomon began the show with an unusual disclaimer.

“Julius Caesar has forty roles, and we have eleven actors, so most actors play multiple roles,” she said. “I hope that their character choices convey that.”

Solomon’s note proved helpful, as some actors changed roles quickly between scenes. While the actors perceptibly tried to modify their characters, the changes were at times jarring, especially from a female character to a male character, an adjustment all of the actresses had to make.

Sophomore Therese Mayer, who played Flavius, Decius, Lucius and Cinna the Poet, chose an interesting source of inspiration for her character choices.

“I was inspired by Roman statues and took most of my characters from pictures of them,” she said.

Particularly impressive was the meaning each character instilled into the Shakespearean language, which can often be very difficult to master and follow.

Senior Asher Nicholson, who played the role of Brutus, captured the conflicted nature of his character despite the fact that he had never acted in a Shakespearean play before.  The director’s emphasis on placing significance on each word was clear, and the actors showed their hard-work in the performance.

The set was somewhat sparse except for fragmented red columns that served as the backdrop. The costumes, designed by Sade Namei, were simple and easy to chage in order to denote a different character. Many of the costumes had a contemporary feel mixed with classical elements, such as a suit jacket draped with red fabric.

Theatre II’s production of “Julius Caesar” proved enthralling and, for the most part, effective.