By DANA DUGAN
William Shakespeare’s “Julius Caesar” is, at its core, a cautionary tale. Don’t get in over your head. Don’t lie. Listen to your closest advisors. Judge not. And, above all, actions have consequences.
When “Julius Caesar” (1599) is staged at The Spot, located at 220 Lewis St., #2, in Ketchum, at 7:30 p.m., Thursday, May 2, through Saturday, May 11, one of history’s most notorious coups will be played out.
Shakespeare wrote four plays concerning ancient Rome, “Antony and Cleopatra,” “Coriolanus,” “Julius Caesar” and “Titus Andronicus.” The Bard sourced all of these from “Lives,” penned by Roman historian Plutarch, first printed in Rome in 1470. The play has been adapted by Natalie Battistone, and is set a few years into the future. In fact, describing what he called the punk look of the production, director Kevin Wade said it will have “elements of cyber-terrorism and hacking—things in our consciousness today—with a lot with projections.”
In keeping with The Spot’s proclivity to mix things up for actors and the audience, this production will be in the traverse, meaning the audience will be seated at each end facing toward each other.
“We danced around the plot a little so it makes sense with nine actors in a small space,” Wade said. “But the story is intact.”
Battistone streamlined the text so that the audience will see characters through from beginning to end rather than a gaggle of extraneous dramatis personae. Some characters have merged.
“People are probably less familiar with it than they think they are, but all the elements are there,” said Battistone.
What will be familiar are several lines well known in everyday parlance, including “Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears,” “Beware the Ides of March,” and “Et tu, Brute?” The meanings of these lines all come from the true story of Caeser and his part in the shaping of the continent. The play still packs an historic wallop.
A famous general who successfully battled his way through Europe expanding Rome’s boundaries, Julius Caesar was something of a celebrity in Rome in the mid-1st century.
At that time, Rome was a republic with a group of senators ruling the vast Roman Empire, which Caesar had helped create. However, by the time he and fellow consul Marc Antony declared Caesar king, the elites were displeased by his power and plain cockiness. Indeed, the only reason Caesar was able to lord it over them all is because everyone seemed willing to let him. Cassius announced that “the fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars/But in ourselves, that we are underlings.”
“They didn’t feel he was right for the role,” said Brett Moellenberg, who plays Brutus.
Conspiracies ensued, resulting in Caesar famously being assassinated by his own comrades in 44 B.C. In the aftermath, Marc Anthony and Octavius Caesar went to war against the conspirators, and eventually won.
“It’s one of my favorite Shakespeare’s,” Moellenberg said. “It’s super-accessible, and there’s a ton of action, but not a ton of plot. The characters can go on a distinct journey interpersonally.”
Wade said the play, though filled with drama and violence, is really about those relationships.
“What is right and wrong, and how subjective that can be,” Wade said. “Two people can be absolutely sure they’re right. It takes that idea and blasts it out to an extreme murder because of what they think is right.”
The play has been done in period, set in different locales and in modern dress. But Wade’s idea is trickier.
“I was inspired by ‘Mr. Robot’,” Wade said. “It’s cyber punk light.”
That show, on USA Network, stars Rami Malek. Its tagline is “Our democracy has been hacked.” Indeed, “Julius Caesar,” because it’s more than just knife fights and entanglements, can seem incredibly timely. An overriding theme in the show—if everyone wears a mask, how do you know who your friends are—can be equally applied to the times in which we now live.
“Kevin’s idea with this piece is to create a world that feels relevant,” Moellenberg said. “The setting isn’t a gimmick.”
Patrick Mazzella, who plays Cassius, agreed. “It’s a malleable setting that allows the audience to pull what they need from the play,” he said.
Members of the cast also include Yanna Lantz as Portia and others; Sara Gorby as Calpurnia and others; Rachael Aanestad as Decius and others; Peter Burke as Caesar and others; Kagen Albright as Marc Antony and others; and Chris Henderson as Casca and others.
For tickets, call (208) 928-6241, or visit thespot.com.
