Twenty-four screens with different political commentators faced the audience before the opening of The Acting Company’s “Julius Caesar” last Sunday night at the Quick Center, combining the classical play with a modern perspective.
Founded in 1972, The Acting Company is a non-profit organization known for building a discerning national audience for the theater. While educating primarily middle and high school students in disadvantage communities, they strive to develop the best young American actors.
The company is currently touring 31 cities and towns in 20 states across the U.S. and Canada this season, alternating the showings of “The Comedy of Errors” and “Julius Caesar.”
As the lights dimmed and the production began, the digital images of political commentators faded into a revolutionary video that portrayed violence and chaos, setting the mood for the rest of the play.
“Julius Caesar” is a tragic play that was written by William Shakespeare in the late 16th century. The production follows the last few years of Caesar’s life, portraying how even after he was murdered he remained incredibly powerful.
“Shakespeare modernized the play when he wrote it. He intended the audience to hear it within the context of whoever was listening,” said actor Ernest Bentley, who played Marcus Brutus in “Julius Caesar,” after the performance. “There is validity in the idea that there should be value in the language.”
The actors came out in black suits while the actresses came out in fashionable dresses, paralleling a contemporary political style. When the dialogue began, the contrast between the modern appearance and the Shakespearean language stood out.
“The Acting Company did a great job bringing the play into our world,” said audience member Sam Maxfield ’14. “I think Shakespeare would have wanted this connection.”
In between scenes throughout the play, the square object that remained on stage continued to display videos of violence, not allowing the audience to forget the mood of what Shakespeare had intended. Along with the powerful images, accompanying rap music brought modernization to life.
The most powerful scene within the first half, or possibly the whole play, was the death scene of Julius Caesar. Known to be the “climax” of the Shakespearean production, it was by far the scene that produced the most reaction from the audience.
As Julius Caesar turned his back during his death scene, Brutus and his followers revealed their knives. Suddenly the lighting goes red, and blood projects onto the background screen to coincide with the stabbings.
Brutus held Caesar up from collapsing until he was given a knife, which he plunged into Caesar, symbolic for the ultimate act of betrayal. Emotion filled the silent auditorium as Caesar whispered the infamous words in Latin, “E` tu, Brute?” translated to English as “You too, Brutus?”
The rest of the performance showed the vengeance of Julius Caesar and, although he was dead, how his powerful character was still present. The adaptation to today’s culture certainly helped the audience members relate throughout the two hours of the production.
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