National Theatre's Julius Caesar at the Bridge Theatre.

☆☆☆☆

The National Theatre’s re-incarnation of Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar was a tranquillising performance of raw acting talent which clearly presented the story of Julius Caesar in a contemporary fashion; thus shining brightly on the unique nature of National Theatre productions.

This contemporary fashion is put into play from the off with the use of a current rock band acting as a rally for Julius Caesar. This gives the subtly intellectual connotation that this play’s moral's can be applied to all; thus making it more current and important to everyone, not just National Theatre enthusiasts, or Ben Whishaw and David Morrisey fanatics. It also connotes how strong dictators such as Julius Caesar can still be in need of populist support. 

The dazzling show saw the use of staging to be a major part of the plays configuration and mood. The Bridge Theatre accommodated this exciting use of space. The staging was not set specifically. Instead it chopped and changed; moving from place to place to convey a new scene. The audience was immersive and therefore it would have provided a challenge to move such bulky set around an audience- trying to avoid getting in their way; moving the set quick enough for the next scene and so forth. However, the use of specific actors to instruct the crowds movement, in a fashion which fitted to the almost dystopian war-scene of the overall performance, successfully managed the crowd while also making them feel part of the performance and more consumed within the mood of the play. Pulling them into the performance certainly hooked them to a more intense degree; thus the overall performance was enhanced even further towards magnificence. This included the audience playing a role as witnesses in the gruesome murder of Caesar and members of the town protesting for his death. They were handed props at various points in the performance such as a red flag, representative of Caesar’s on coming death. In addition, posters and leaflets were handed to them advertising the want for Caesar’s death. This make them feel as if they were the crowds of that time; making them actors alongside the famous faces of Ben Whishaw and David Morrisey.

Other props were used by the actors to create symbolic meaning to place the old Shakespearian text into a more contemporary audience. Brutus, played by Ben Whishaw, used the modern day hand-sanitiser to cleanse his hands after his bloody murder of Julius Caesar. Although his hands were no longer soaked in the crimson blood, he continued to rub his hands clean with the chemical. This infers the idea that he has guilt clinging to him still.  Michelle Fairley, playing the part of Cassius, is not the first female Cassius we have seen, yet she brings such a prominently passionate performance that she stands high above the rest. She uses her hands symbolically; focusing on the movement of her hands to express her emotions. She uses sweeping movements when in panic and harsher; more set movements when conspiring a plan to show how her character can stay in control of the situation and be fearless even when covered in the blood of Caesar. The decrease in both these characters physical appearance also strikes me as symbolic of the plight of political rallying and the fact that it is not something to be romanticised. This Roman dystopia that this performance is set in clearly brings this message across.

The imaginatively thought provoking use of costume is another element of this play that is exquisitely thought out. Caesar is placed in costumes to represent different dictators of the modern day. For example, his grey coat with the upturned collar reminds us of Starlin and his baseball cap and baseball jacket reminds us of Donald Trump. This infers the fact that dictators are all bad; thus putting the audience in support of Brutus murdering Caesar. It makes us as the audience reflect on modern political affairs. Thus, as well as entertaining us, this play also translates to our modern lives now. This Shakespearean play transforms traditional Shakespeare and spins it into a world of flashing lights and contemporary colours.

The National Theatre use the Bridge Theatre’s inspiring space to translate to the audience a politically intricate, thought-provoking and eye catching array of pure acting and directing genius. This iconic play spirals into our modern day lives not only for the entertainment of our eyes but also for the pleasure of our souls. A masterpiece in modern Shakespeare.