Julius Caesar – the Roman general and ruler has inspired many a literary and artistic work, of which one of the most renowned, no doubt, is that of Shakespeare. Titled ‘Julius Caesar’, the political thriller is widely regarded as one of Shakespeare’s finest works and has seen countless renditions over the centuries.
The Royal Shakespeare Company’s (RSC) production of the popular story – which recently completed its UK tour – saw British Indian theatre director Atri Banerjee, helm the latest rendition. Debuting as director for RSC, Banerjee has previously been listed as the ‘one to watch in 2022’ in The Stage 25 and has won ‘Best Director’ at The Stage Debut Awards in 2019.
Keeping with the current trend of performing Shakespeare in modern dress, Banerjee’s depiction shows the cast donning a range of modern outfits – from formal wear like suits and shirts to smart casuals like white t-shirts and a pair of jeans. This trend of embracing modern wear in Shakespeare’s plays was first seen in a production of ‘Cymbeline’ in the Birmingham Repertory Theatre in the year 1923 and became popular in the following decades. One of its objectives is probably underscoring the universality of Shakespeare’s themes by allowing the current fashion to become a part of the act. Another, of course, is the way in which it increases relatability for the audience. Banerjee, however, takes it a step further. By casting a female actor and a non-binary actor to play traditionally male characters – and changing the pronouns in the script where needed – Banerjee undoubtedly seems to be giving a nod to gender equality and inclusion. The refreshing break from tradition comes as a pleasant surprise when the stunning Thalissa Teixeira walks onto the stage as Brutus – a traditionally male character. Similarly, Cassius is also played by the talented Annabel Baldwin.
“I want to tell a story about power today. There are 48 named characters in the play, of which 46 are men and 2 of them are women. So we’ve cast it in such a way to redress the gender imbalance in the play, so it’s about half and half men and women and one non-binary actor,” says Banerjee speaking about the casting choices and how the production thrived for better representation of diversity.
“The production will make people think about their reactions to power when it is held by people who aren’t part of the white male patriarchy that we have all been living in and all do still live in.”
Banerjee’s rendition of the famous play is a stunning blend of modern themes and Shakespearean beauty but most of all, perhaps, it captures the core themes of power, politics, greed and morality in an extremely effective manner. The gravity of the dilemma and the emotional aftereffect of Caesar’s assassination is rendered with a flawless performance by Teixeira. The exchanges between Teixeira and Baldwin, too, beautifully convey the friendship, trust and loyalty between the two friends. Robinson, who plays Mark Antony, brings out the grief and anger of the character in a remarkable fashion. Despite the notoriously enigmatic Shakespearean dialogue, the cast’s impeccable performance succeeds in making the characters thoroughly relatable for the younger members of the audience.
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Speaking on what appeals to him about directing ‘Julius Caesar’, Banerjee notes: “I wanted to capture that ambivalence that’s central to what Shakespeare has written. Shakespeare isn’t offering any solutions. I don’t think he is saying one way is good and one way is wrong. Because the actions the conspirators take to assassinate Julius Caesar plunges Rome and the world into even more chaos. So what appealed to me about directing Julius Caesar is that it felt like a play that could think about these huge moral grey areas that we exist in without trying to draw any easy conclusions.”
The thought-provoking story and great direction is surely another incredible achievement in the talented director growing resume!
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*Info: Royal Shakespeare Company