This bold production will certainly appeal to screen-savvy youngsters studying Shakespeare
Frida was excited by the promise of a futuristic take on Shakespeare’s bloody tale of Julius Caesar. An evening of doomed ambition, megalomania and betrayal lay in wait for us at Southwark Playhouse as we falteringly negotiated the traffic at Elephant and Castle, our very own Rubicon moment. Emperor Caesar would have rebuked us no doubt, ‘Ambition should be made of sterner stuff!’ but look where that got him, write Frida Gray and Ed Gray.
Safely inside the Playhouse the houselights dimmed before the buzzing audience and we were transported to Neo-Rome, a futuristic vision of the UK, for the feast of Lupercalia. Hunger Games-meets-Mad Max leather clad actors cavorted lustily with one another as the stage lit up with screens flashing messages between the actors as they summoned up their own Bard-speak captions in neon text with a single gesture. It was clear that this was to be an unorthodox interpretation of Caesar’s downfall.
Founded by director Max Lewedel, Icarus Theatre Collective have been developing the concept of Creative Captioning for the last few years with the help of the Arts Council England in an attempt to make theatre more accessible and inclusive to audiences, whether hearing or deaf, especially those who might be daunted by the prospect of engaging with the language of Shakespeare.
Initially it was a somewhat confusing way of telling the story as our attention flitted from actor to screen. After some time, we began to engage with the magic of the dynamics which meant that sometimes we read the screens, reflecting on the poetry of Shakespeare’s written text and the abundances of quotable lines within, and sometimes we watched the actors and listened to their words. Frida particularly loved the projected animations that appeared alongside the text to illustrate the storytelling.
‘Men willingly believe what they wish’ declared Caesar, and indeed the timing of this production is excellent given recent historic events, from the January 6 storming of the Capitol to the rise of fascist autocracies and assassination attempts on the former President/ Republican presidential nominee, all of which has been broadcast to our young people on mainstream and social media.
Back onstage, much fake-news trickery occurs as loyalties in the neo-Roman Capitol are tested to the limit and the Republic must be saved at all costs. Therefore, the Ides of March scene where Caesar comes-a-cropper feels sanitised and underwhelming as he is played as a hologram. Rioters are roused by Mark Anthony as he manipulates the mob and the dogs of war are let slip, but they are meekly tame, akin to watching people playing Tour of Duty or laser quest, especially when you’ve recently watched a president get shot in the ear on live TV.
Not wishing to stab anyone in the back, we both felt this production was laudable in its intention to ping Shakespeare into the 21st Century via new technologies for modern audiences. Icarus even has further plans to incorporate British Sign language into future productions.
Full credit must go to the cast and projection designer Will Monks who keep pace with all the technology onstage. We both agreed that this bold production will certainly appeal to screen-savvy youngsters studying Shakespeare. ‘As long as they can stop TikToking long enough to enjoy the play!’ added Frida. Or, as Caesar puts it best, ‘The fault, dear Brutus, is not in not in our stars, but in ourselves’.
Southwark Playhouse Borough, 77-85 Newington Causeway, London SE1 6BD until 5th October.
Box Office: southwarkplayhouse.co.uk/productions/julius-caesar – 020 7407 0234
Admission: £24-28 Standard; £20-24 Concessions
