Julius Caesar
Oct. 8th, 2013 02:56 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
brigdhOver the weekend, I went to see a production of Julius Caesar that kept the original text, but cast all women and set the action in a women's prison. The acting was amaaaazing, particularly the people playing Mark Antony, Cassius, and Caesar himself (herself?). It was really some of the best acting I've ever seen, particularly Antony's "Friends, Romans, Countrymen" speech, which is as it should be. I mean, if your plot hinges on this being a grand act of oratory, it should be, well, a grand act of oratory.
That said, I'm not sure what the "women's prison" aspect was supposed to do. While I am all for all-female casts, the text really doesn't work in a prison, particularly multiple speeches about the importance of their freedom as Romans. Not to mention the entire last act, where people are carrying around guns and talking about armies and battles, and I just have no idea where the metaphor went at that point. Not that they ever used the metaphor much, since 90% of the time the costumes where the only clue that the setting was changed- no guards on stage, for instance, no bars, no restrictions on people's movements, none of the million things I would think would define a prison setting.
Honestly, I suspect they thought the stabbing scene would be cool if set in a prison (and granted, that bit was pretty much the one thing that translated well), and kind of forgot about the rest of the play. Maybe it's because I'm very fond of AUs that this bothered me so much; I just really wanted more explanation of what was going on with the world-building! You can't just throw elements at the wall randomly! You've got to work it all out logically.
Overall, though, I really did love it. Here's the link, in case the production comes near any of you.
That said, I'm not sure what the "women's prison" aspect was supposed to do. While I am all for all-female casts, the text really doesn't work in a prison, particularly multiple speeches about the importance of their freedom as Romans. Not to mention the entire last act, where people are carrying around guns and talking about armies and battles, and I just have no idea where the metaphor went at that point. Not that they ever used the metaphor much, since 90% of the time the costumes where the only clue that the setting was changed- no guards on stage, for instance, no bars, no restrictions on people's movements, none of the million things I would think would define a prison setting.
Honestly, I suspect they thought the stabbing scene would be cool if set in a prison (and granted, that bit was pretty much the one thing that translated well), and kind of forgot about the rest of the play. Maybe it's because I'm very fond of AUs that this bothered me so much; I just really wanted more explanation of what was going on with the world-building! You can't just throw elements at the wall randomly! You've got to work it all out logically.
Overall, though, I really did love it. Here's the link, in case the production comes near any of you.
