Review: Petty Men (Arcola Theatre)

Review by Lily Melhuish

⭐️⭐️⭐️

It feels only fitting that Buzz Studios - a company named in honour of Buzz Goodbody, the Royal Shakespeare Company’s first female director - should debut with an adaptation of Shakespeare. But Petty Men is no ordinary reworking of Julius Caesar. It’s inventive, curious, and refreshingly accessible, a production that dares to ask: how far would you go to achieve your ambitions?

Set in a backstage dressing room, the play follows two understudies, Brutus (John Chisham) and Cassius (Adam Goodbody), as they rehearse Julius Caesar for quite literally the hundredth time. At first, it’s just another day at the office as they warm up for a performance that may never make it to the stage. Vocal trills and cups of tea help pass the time as they listen to the live show relay, their own recital filled with pinky promises, protein powder, and party hats to punctuate their banter. But beneath the camaraderie lurks something darker. Cassius, tired of waiting in the wings, begins to plant seeds of doubt, and soon the line between rehearsal and reality blurs. Can ambition ever justify betrayal?

The concept is ambitious, and the execution partly delivers. The first half is mischievous and light, a playground for two actors performing to no one but themselves. The second half veers into something more theatrical and eerie, a murderous coup in Rome played out in a cramped backstage space. While the tonal shift is compelling, the pacing falters. When the play leans heavily on Shakespeare’s text, it feels static; when it breaks free, it finds its stride.

Visually, the set by Tomás Palmer is a surprising triumph of transformation. At first glance, it’s a cluttered dressing room: a vanity table, a costume rail, a humble microwave, even a mature coriander plant. But as the story unfolds, this naturalistic space becomes a Narnia of theatrical surprises. Each prop is purposeful - the mirror facing the audience, in particular, a poignant reminder that what we see isn’t always what lies beneath.

One of the most striking elements is the integration of creative captioning. Far from being a functional add-on, captions become a character in their own right and a constant presence: an audience, a director, even a ghost. It’s a bold and inspiring leap toward embedding accessibility at the heart of theatre, though I wished the production leaned into its potential more. This is the future, and it’s thrilling to watch.

Performances are strong but occasionally veer into stereotype. Goodbody brings a high-strung, professional gravitas to Cassius, while Chisham’s Brutus is relaxed and easygoing, a recognisable duo whose chemistry propels the narrative.Yet as the play blends the lines between performance, rehearsal, and downtime, motivations become murky. Both actors clearly have an impressive understanding of the text, having adapted it themselves with director Júlia Levai, but the production is at its best when they weave Shakespeare’s language with ease rather than reciting it verbatim. References to Julius Caesar as a BAFTA-winning celebrity hint at jealousy but feel underdeveloped and impersonal, leaving stakes low for too long.

The main issue is that the production doesn’t fully realise its own concept. In trying to make Julius Caesar more comprehensible, it sometimes makes it more confusing. I’ll admit I was only able to appreciate certain creative choices after revisiting the original story post-show, although I still can’t quite wrap my head around why killing Julius Caesar would result in the understudy for Callius or Brutus having their time to shine. Other moments like Brutus’ throwaway line, “we forgot Portia,” feel lazy, undermining the adaptation’s integrity. Cherry-picking from Shakespeare without integrating those choices meaningfully suggests ambition without complete follow-through

Still, Petty Men is an experimental and promising debut for Buzz Studios. Tackling Julius Caesar straight out of the gate is a bold move, and this team shows they have imagination to spare. It’s not perfect, but it’s exciting, a glimpse of a company with a bright future and a commitment to pushing boundaries.

Petty Men plays at the Arcola Theatre until December 20th

For tickets and information visit https://www.arcolatheatre.com/event/pettymen/

Photos by Olivia Spencer Photography