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<\/p>\n\u201cJulius Caesar\u201d is William Shakespeare\u2019s most political play. Its larger-than life characters and universal themes invite modern re-imaginings. In fact, New York Public Theatre\u2019s 2017 Shakespeare in the Park production went so far as to recreate Caesar in the guise of the U.S. president, even giving Caesar\u2019s wife a distinctive Slavic accent. The Laboratory Theater of Florida is not taking that bait.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere’s a tendency to lean towards what is happening politically in our government,\u201d observed Artistic Director Nykkie Rizley. \u201cWe wanted to stray as far from that as possible so that you didn’t get caught in the politics of what \u2018Julius Caesar\u2019 is about, but rather the undying themes of \u2018Julius Caesar,\u2019 the ambition, the trust, loyalty, betrayal.\u201d<\/p>\n
True to its mission to stage edgy, provocative theater, Lab Theater is modernizing the play in a number of ways.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe took it out of the pillars of Rome and put it in a dark, dingy parking lot,\u201d said Rizley. \u201cDon’t think so much swords and daggers. Think more crowbars and baseball bats.\u201d
Lab has also shortened the play and reduced the normal size of its cast.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat we did was we took Shakespeare’s \u2018Julius Caesar,\u2019 which generally runs about four hours long and has 27 characters and cut it down to 90 minutes and nine people,\u201d said Rizley.<\/p>\n
The casting is also re-imagined.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe four main roles – Julius Caesar, Antony, Brutus and Caius Cassius – have been uniquely cast,\u201d Rizley noted. \u201cThose four people will include Ryan Adair, Shelley Sanders, Justin Larsche and Christian Rivero. Do with that what you will.\u201d<\/p>\n
But there is one feature that won\u2019t change.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt’s still Shakespeare’s language,\u201d Rizley said.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s good tidings, because the speeches included in this play are iconic.<\/p>\n
\u201cJulius Caesar\u201d runs March 27th to April 26th.<\/p>\n
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Courtesy of The Laboratory Theater of Florida<\/p>\n
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Laboratory Theater of Florida<\/p>\n
For its production of Shakespeare’s ‘Julius Caesar,’ Lab Theater trades Roman columns for a dark, dingy apartment complex parking lot a la ‘West Side Story.’ <\/p>\n
MORE INFORMATION:<\/p>\n
Joining Adair, Sanders (“Clown Bar” trilogy, “Sharing the Same Umbrella,” “Eula Mae’s Beauty, Bait & Tackle,” “The Women Who Mapped the Stars”), Larsche (“Grey House,” “Clyde’s,” “The Tempest,” “The Shadow Box”) and Rivero in the cast of \u201cJulius Caesar\u201d are Derek Kemp (“The Watcher”), Greg Wojciechowski (“Southern Fried Funeral,” “It’s a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play,” “Young Frankenstein,” “On Golden Pond”), Marja Murawski, Abby Seeley (“Grey House,” “The Minutes”), Roslyn Kellogg (“Grey House” and Daniel Sabiston (“Yippee Ki-Yay Merry Christmas A Die Hard Musical Parody,” “Save Hamlet,” “The Play That Goes Wrong,” “The Birds: A Parody”).<\/p>\n
\u201cThe oldest person that we have in the cast has been a member of AARP for quite some time,\u201d Rizley observed. \u201cThe youngest is in high school. It’s a phenomenal cast. They’re having an absolute blast. It’s a lot of black leather and ripped-up jeans. It’s just aesthetically very cool.\u201d<\/p>\n
Notwithstanding the modern tweaks, Rizley is confident that Lab\u2019s production will appeal to Shakespeare traditionalists.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think that the traditionalist will be excited to see a new wave of Shakespeare lovers being born from this rendition.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rizley similarly expects people who don\u2019t like Shakespeare or who have yet to see one of his plays performed onstage to become newfound fans.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe do a really nice job of breaking it down onto the core level of what it is,\u201d Rizley said. \u201cWhether you like Shakespeare or not, whether you think you understand his language or not, you can still clearly understand the themes he\u2019s talking about. Betrayal and trust and honesty and ambition are all things that we understand, and when you rip those things open and you expose them, whether you follow every single word, you’ll still have a clear understanding of what exactly is going on.\u201d<\/p>\n
Although Shakespeare\u2019s plays have captivated audiences for over 400 years, many people find the language off-putting. Words and phrases that were common in Elizabethan England are now alien to modern English speakers. This creates what linguist John McWhorter calls a \u201cfog\u201d that prevents us from fully grasping the beauty and power of Shakespeare\u2019s work. But even though audiences may not understand every word, context typically enables people to figure out precisely what\u2019s happening.<\/p>\n
The universality of Shakespeare\u2019s themes attracts young and old from all demographics and ethnicities.<\/p>\n
Lest you, too, think you won\u2019t like Shakespeare, consider this: \u201cThe Lion King\u201d was based on \u201cHamlet,\u201d as was \u201cRosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead.\u201d \u201cWest Side Story\u201d (1961 & 2021) was based on \u201cRomeo & Juliet\u201d (substitute rival street gangs for feuding noble families). \u201cTen Things I Hate About You\u201d (1999) was based on \u201cThe Taming of the Shrew,\u201d as was \u201cDeliver Us from Eva\u201d (2003), which was set in a contemporary African American community.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnyone But You\u201d was based on \u201cMuch Ado About Nothing,\u201d \u201cJohn Tucker Must Die\u201d was based on \u201cThe Merry Wives of Windsor\u201d and \u201cO\u201d (2001) was based on \u201cOthello\u201d (star basketball player manipulated into jealousy by his friend).<\/p>\n
But Lab\u2019s production of Julius Caesar has more in common with Joss Whedon\u2019s \u201cMuch Ado About Nothing,\u201d which kept Shakespeare\u2019s original text but modernized the play\u2019s settings, costumes and street vibe to capture the spirit of witty banter and romance.<\/p>\n
Like \u201cMuch Ado About Nothing\u201d and \u201cWest Side Story,\u201d \u201cJulius Caesar\u201d is set in the present time in the asphalt parking lot of a derelict apartment complex. The production begins as a breaking news story that quickly devolves into social anarchy. As the facts fail, the literal structure of the setting and the storytelling crumble under the weight of the escalating disorder.<\/p>\n
Lab Theater\u2019s decision to avoid overt political references is a departure from the way \u201cJulius Caesar\u201d is normally staged. For example, Riverside Shakespeare Company\u2019s 1984 production was set in Washington to heighten, rather than avoid, comparisons to present political times and administrations. However, Orson Welles\u2019 1937 production at the Mercury Theater contained the most strident political commentary on modern times. Welles designed his production of ”Julius Caesar” to make audiences think of Mussolini’s Blackshirts \u2014 and it did.<\/p>\n
Performance dates:<\/p>\n
There is a half-price preview on March 26 at 7:30 p.m.Matinee performances are March 29 and April 4, 5, 12, 19 and 26 at 2 p.m.Evening performances are March 27 and 28 and April 2, 3, 9, 10, 11, 16, 17, 18, 23, 24 and 25 at 7:30 p.m.<\/p>\n
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