Review: Julius Caesar (Omnibus Theatre)

Review by Stephen Gilchrist

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Tangle Theatre’s work is - in their own words - to ‘champion African and Caribbean arts. Aiming to nurture and celebrate the talents of African and Caribbean artists, this time round the company bring their talents to bear on Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar in a brave, interesting but not entirely successful small-scale touring production which is playing a limited run at the Omnibus Theatre in Clapham as its final stop.

In this production, much abridged and adapted by Anna Coombs, five actors play all the characters who speak, in a play in which there are at least 34 named characters. Tangle seeks to ‘bring African-inspired storytelling into the heart of ancient Rome.’ It is, indeed, a brave conceit. As a result of the abridgement, with the show playing out over less than two hours, including interval, some of the narrative is unduly rushed and the discussion about why, or whether, an end should be put to Caesar was, for those unfamiliar with the play,probably difficult to follow.

The play portrays the political conspiracy that led to the assassination of the Roman dictator Julius Caesar, and Rome's subsequent civil war. Although named after Caesar, the play focuses largely on Brutus, whose moral and political dilemmas have often led critics to regard him as its tragic hero. Central themes include the tension between personal loyalty and public duty, the use of rhetoric in politics, and the fragility of republican governance in the face of ambition and power.

Because Julius Caesar deals with themes of conspiracy, assassination, and tyranny, it can be produced in so many different contexts, historical and contemporary. In Orson Welles's famous Mercury Theatre production, he dressed his protagonists in uniforms reminiscent of those common at the time in Fascist Italy and Nazi Germany, while in 2012 The Royal Shakespeare Company staged an all-black production under the direction of Gregory Doran, setting the tragedy in post-independence Africa. Modern adaptions of the play have often made contemporary political references, provingthat there is nothing new under the sun.

The attempted, or actual assassination of political leaders is of course a contemporary issue. In the current production, the African theme is centred round the ‘Soothsayer’ - he who warns Caesar of his impending death in his “Beware, the Ides of March” speech - who is present throughout the show and is depicted as an African healer. He is played fiercely and forcefully by Yaw Osafo-Kantanka, who oversees the action in ritualised drumming and dance choreographed by Bawren Tavaziva, to music by John Pfumojena. He is at once both a threat and a commentator in untranslatedchants, while costumed in African regalia. He provides some powerful imagery, and after the interval encourages the audience to respond loudly to Mark Antony’s oratory in his native tongue, to exemplify mob rule, in the most successful scene in the play.

The production falls down, though, by adopting half measures. Instead of having the confidence to go full on with Afro-Caribbean costuming and settings, the company are dressed rather blandly, with some hint of togas, but they are just not striking enough to provide the context in which the director would wish herproduction to be seen. The set, designed by Colin Falconer, is abstract and interesting, centred on three large concentric circles of light upstage, and some effective lighting by Joe Hornsby lent some mood to the proceedings.  

There are other issues as well. The quality of performances is mixed. Of the five actors, Samya De Meo as Cassius, Portia, and Calpurnia, comes off best with well- resonant performance-focused delivery. Remiel Faral’s Brutus picked up throughout the evening after a weaker start, while Samater Ahmed was obliged to play Mark Anthony ‘on-book’ due to the indisposition of John Pfomojena. Despite coming into the role later, he was actually very good, particular in his big scene, that is to say, the “Friends Romans and Countrymen” speech, giving some real nuance to his, “Brutus is an honourable man”. Less successful was Roland Royal III as Caesar, Cinna, and Octavius, an actor out of Chicago and plays Caesar with a rather peculiar southern drawl. Regrettably, in his professional debut, I thought his articulation and projection weren’t quite up to task.

This new production of Julius Caesar certainly does not bore in its reduced length, but overall, this run at the Omnibu fails to impress. I thought the central conceit was clever and brave, with a well-set atmosphere and some strong performances, but as a whole it was let down in its execution.

Julius Caesar plays at the Omnibus Theatre until November 15^th

For tickets and information visit https://www.omnibus-clapham.org/julius-caesar-2/

Photos by Stuart Martin