Hail Sheasar!
Gender-bending Shakespeare is a risk. You are subject to the wrath of those who ask why it needs doing (note: it has literally always been part of Shakespeare, friends) and it can easily fail to add any significance to the work. I must admit, I was skeptical about the change of Caesar’s pronouns from masculine to feminine — why can’t a woman just be Caesar? — but Act II assuaged my worries. With Caesar’s gender swap, the senators’ defense of their slaughter sounded like so much of the criticism we hear about women who transgress traditional power structures. Perhaps the most poignant line of this show came from Brutus at Caesar’s funeral: “But as she was ambitious, I slew her.” Even with all her other admirable qualities, the mere suspicion that she might harbor ambitions was enough to drive them to destroy her.
My one sharp criticism of the show is that the final image, presumably an allusion to the 45th president, detracts from the show’s exploration of the treatment of women with power. It is already abundantly clear that Caesar is an analogue for contemporary powerful women. Add in her white pantsuit and heels (when everyone else was barefoot in togas) and we have a Hillary Clinton reference — but only a reference. Here, the symbolism extends beyond Clinton; however, once Octavius — the character in the tableau presumably meant to evoke Trump — strikes the final pose, the scope of the message retroactively narrows to one specific case. This is a shame, as the audience is otherwise free to view the production as a broad exploration of the widespread animosity engendered by women in power. Additionally, Octavius had just won a battle fighting for the side that wished to avenge Caesar’s death, confusing the analogy.
As for the more technical aspects of the show, the black box layout of the Iseman Theater is an asset. The sparse set exudes an aura of power, and having the audience on three sides eliminates the need for any oddly artificial blocking. Lighting was excellent throughout (most notably during the storm that rages before Caesar’s assassination), and the ominous music certainly contributes to the conspiratorial mood.
All of the leads deftly carried the weight of the play and their characters. Most importantly, what made for a highly enjoyable production was that they always knew what they were saying and why they were saying it. There was never a moment when the language and verse interfered with my understanding and enjoyment of the show.
Julius Caesar runs 110 minutes with a 15 minute intermission, with shows Thursday, Friday, and Saturday at 8pm and a 2pm matinee on Saturday. Tickets are available at yaledramat.org
