When it comes to compiling a list of Shakespeare's best plays, from personal opinion, 'Julius Caesar' would not make the list, though it would certainly not be on the lesser play list. That is not saying that it's a bad play, quite the contrary. It is compelling with fully rounded characters, interesting themes and some of Shakespeare's most famous lines and speeches, Shakespeare once again showing how unrivalled he is in mastery of language, text and poetry whether in a few lines or big monologues. It does though run out of steam dramatically towards the end and in performance very rarely is the final scene nailed.
Have always found Nicholas Hytner an interesting and intelligent director. He always has good ideas, treats the source material with taste and respect and he shows great attention to detail in character growth and interactions. He is not always enough of a risk taker though, have seen productions of various operas and plays that are far more spontaneous. But actually, this 'Julius Caesar' was an exception. He does take risks here, including making Cassius a female, the use of the floor and the use of mob, and with the audience feeling like part of the action (felt the same about Kenneth Branagh's 'Macbeth') there is spontaneity.
This 'Julius Caesar' is often very well done in almost every area and succeeds more than it doesn't. It is not a perfect production. The second half is not as good as the first. It does lose momentum towards the end and some of it is on the silly side, and the play is partly to blame for this.
It is a production that has the text heavily cut, which doesn't always make the story cohesive and character motivations are not fully fleshed out or too vague. Some of the characters seeming to act the way they do for no real reason and reading or studying the play is in order to understand. Was somewhat mixed on David Morrissey, who treats it too much of a joke at first and loses focus at the end. However, as Marc Antony evolves and made more complex Morrissey's acting also grows. His delivery of the major speeches is powerful, especially the famous "lend me your ears" one.
On the other hand, the production despite not being traditional visually doesn't look ugly or cheap, the period not confusing. The setting even was quite frightening in realism in a way that's tragic and brutal. The first half is extremely compelling, with rousing and moving moments and the politics aren't laid on too thick despite having more of an emphasis, to show how more chaos there is when leadership is lacking. Despite having a lot of cuts, the dialogue is still vintage Shakespeare, emotionally varied and intelligent.
Was mostly very impressed by Hytner's stage direction. It was thoughtful, it was more spontaneous than most productions of his, he doesn't play it safe, the characters show growth in ways that make sense (despite some vague motivations) and the character interaction has intensity and pathos. The use of the crowd and floor were inspired immersive touches and enhanced the experience. Although Morrissey was inconsistent, the acting mostly was very strong. Ben Whishaw stands out, underplaying Brutus but very movingly and still giving him authority. Michelle Fairley plays Cassius, very interesting here, very intelligently and with full committment. David Calder is a powerful Caesar in presence, not always subtle but the dignity and authority comes through.
All in all, a lot of fine things but not quite great. 7/10
