If that sounds harsh, that is in no way the intent. Royal Shakespeare Company's 2017 production of 'Julius Caesar' could have been good. The play may not be one of my favourite Shakespeare plays, but it does benefit hugely from its compelling supporting characters and powerful (quotable too) speeches. Despite not liking every live streamed production of theirs, Royal Shakespeare Company frequently showcase fantastic talent and when it comes to a company that specialises in Shakespeare, it and The Globe are hard to beat.
They have done far better productions than this 'Julius Caesar', which generally left me cold sadly. Of the productions seen of 'Julius Caesar', this is neither one of the best (the 1953 film with Marlon Brando is highly recommended) or worst (the Charlton Heston version is not good at all, though Heston himself is great in it). There are elements worthy of praise, but these praise-worthy elements are also mixed with bury-worthy elements in a never offensive but rather bland production.
Am going to start with those good things. There are a couple of performances that come over very well indeed. James Corrigan is a tremendously powerful Marc Antony who commands the attention of the stage and auditorium the very second he's introduced. Martin Hutson seethes with passion as Cassius. Didn't think that much of the staging on the whole, but there are a couple of scenes that do have impact. One being one of the most brutal depictions of the assassinations for any production of 'Julius Caesar' seen and the gasp-worthy death of Lucius.
Mostly the production looks quite good and tasteful. Especially the grand looking sets and there is some nice atmospheric lighting. It is always great when one feels like they are there in the actual auditorium itself but is instead either at the cinema or at home at a much cheaper price and more accessible location, the Royal Shakespeare Company live streamings have always had that effect with the intimacy of the photography. The music is suitably subtle.
Personally on the other hand found Andrew Woodall rather bland as Caesar (not one of the most interesting characters in the play anyway oddly enough, Brutus especially has a lot more complexity). He does have an excellent command and understanding of Shakespeare's text, but performance-wise it felt under-characterised and too ordinary that could have done with a lot more charismatic swagger and ambitious ruthlessness. Alex Weldmann's Brutus came over as very out of his depth and he fails to bring much dimension or tortured complexity to a role that is quite complex.
With a couple of exceptions, the stage direction could have been a lot more involving. There is no distaste or gratuitous touches happening for no reason, but there is nothing new and there is a severe lack of risk taking. It all felt too safe and emotionally disconnected, burdened further by a leaden pace at times (especially in the lead up to the assassination, which felt like an eternity). As well as the political elements being too ham-handed (despite being political-heavy, and in a way that has relevance today, it's delivered in too beaten around the head a way while also lacking depth) and the repetitive and disorganised action scenes. Also found the lighting in the opening scene too dark.
In summary, worth a one time watch but disappointing and not up to top Royal Shakespeare Company standard. 5/10
