Review: JULIUS CAESAR at CHESAPEAKE SHAKESPEARE COMPANY

There may be no better place to witness the slow, thunderous unraveling of a republic than beneath the open skies of the Patapsco Female Institute’s crumbling grandeur. In its current production of Shakespeare's JULIUS CAESAR, the Chesapeake Shakespeare Company creatively transforms “The Ruins" into an ancient Rome teetering on the edge of chaos. Director Marcus Kyd leans into the natural drama of the space, delivering a streamlined, emotionally potent production that explores  brotherhood, betrayal, and the fine line between hero and tyrant. 

Great societies and the humans that found them fall slowly, then all at once. This historical tragedy takes place during 44 and 42 BCE when the Roman Republic ended in the chaos of a civil war that birthed the Roman Empire. Glory, treachery and superstition swirl around Julius Ceasar (DeJeanette Horne) whose triumphant return to Rome after defeating his political enemy,Pompey, is shadowed by a soothsayer's warning to "Beware the Ides of March" which he promptly ignores. Horne's stately bearing is the perfect blend of towering historical icon and tragic mortal. On the heels of this victory, Caesar, who has risen to great personal and political acclaim, is offered the crown of an emperor. The Senate, made up of the most powerful and wealthy citizens, has ruled Rome for 500 years and does not like its authority diminished or its coffers depleted by one man. Marcus Brutus (Jose O. Guzman) holds great love for Caesar but also for the republic.  Meanwhile, Caia Cassius (Laura Artesi) is directly hostile to Caesar's dictatorial ambitions. The interplay between Guzman and Artesi brims with intensity and moral complexity as they struggle over the soul of Rome.  Enter Mark Antony (Gabriel Alejandro) whose transformation from grieving ally to cunning rhetorician electrifies (especially when done on the edge of an impending summer storm).

The supporting actors bring every corner of the stage to life.  Standouts include, Kate Forton's eerie Soothsayer and Sandy Borrero's emotionally-charged Portia.  Choreographer and fight director Lorraine Ressegger Slone uses the rugged terrain to intensify intimacy and danger.  The costumes by Elizabeth Morton are elegant in their simplicity and effective in helping distinguish who's who in this talented ensemble.

Across the centuries from Rome to Elizabethan England to our own time, conspiracies bloom, power corrodes, and societies fracture.  This immersive and powerful production captures the ancient and the urgent themes of history as it loops upon itself. In the twilight under gathering storm clouds, the past and present converge in unsettling harmony.  The world crumbles, and the storytellers make sense of the ruins.

JULIUS CAESAR runs through July 20th at the Patapsco Female Institute Historical Park in Ellicott City.  For tickets, visit ChesapeakeShakespeare.com or call 410-244-8570.

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