“The evil that men do lives after them; the good is oft interred with their bones…”
Julius Caesar, Act III, Scene II.
Julius Caesar at Shakespeare & Company. All photos by Kevin Sprague.
The classic history play, Julius Caesar will kick off the opening of the 2010-11 Shakespeare & Company (S&C) season in Lenox. It is the first of a dozen productions between now and the Fall. Our complete rundown is on a special schedule page.
Julius Caesar at Shakespeare & Company in Lenox, MA.
It is a production fresh off the road after performing in gymnatoriums and on stages at some 50 schools and theatres throughout New England, New York and New Jersey. It will run for four weekends from May 21 to June 13 in the Elayne P. Bernstein Theatre. As the next few weeks progress, it will be joined by productions of Women of Will and Mangelberg and Mahler.
This non-Equity production of Julius Caesar includes a revved-up, 90-minute cut of the play, performed by a six-member cast who take on multiple roles, placing the focus on a clear and powerful delivery of Shakespeare’s text. The production is modeled after Shakespeare’s own touring shows, which took to the countryside when the plague shook London and closed down the theatres. The actors are Katherine Abbruzzese, Jake Berger, Dani Cervone, Sean Kazarian, Andy Talen and Ryan Winkles.
Though composed of talented young actors on the rise, the cast is stocked with actors already familiar to S&Co. audiences.
The cast of Julius Caesar is seasoned from months on the road.
Winkles recently earned rave reviews for his performance in S&Co.’s Hound of the Baskervilles, and has also been seen in Othello, The Merry Wives of Windsor, and the 2007 Tour. Talen was seen in All’s Well That Ends Well, and Berger and Kazarian are veterans of past Tours as well. The costumes are designed by Govane Lohbauer, with sound design by Michael Pfeiffer, lighting design by Christian Schmit, and set construction and design by Christian Schmit and Jonathan Croy.
A staple of school curricula and dotted with some of the most memorable and enduring turns of phrase in the English language, Julius Caesar is a favorite choice for experienced students of Shakespeare and newcomers alike. Shakespeare’s account of the conspiracy to kill Caesar, and the wild struggle to achieve order from the chaos that resulted, is loved by students of all ages for the clarity and beauty of its language.
A crowning moment during Julius Caesar at Shakespeare & Company.
Written in 1599, and one of Shakespeare’s most studied and performed plays Julius Caesar offers a remarkably accurate account of what actually occurred during his reign in 44 BC. As the conqueror of Gaul and the victor in a civil war against Pompey, Caesar’s power was close to absolute. But the Senate, with its squabbling nobles, survived as a symbol of what remained of the once mighty Roman Republic. It was in the name of this republic that the plot against Caesar was hatched. However, while Caesar was murdered, the republic’s defenders Brutus and Cassius, were in turn soon defeated by Mark Antony and Octavious Caesar. It’s clear that Shakespeare drew from Plutarch’s Lives of the Nobel Grecians and Romans however, he focuses mostly on specific dates and events and adds ambiguity to the main characters, portraying Caesar as both demigod and mortal, Mark Antony as both loyal and opportunistic, and Brutus both idealistic and vain.
Director Jonathan Croy, now in his twenty-fifth season with the Company, directed last year’s critically acclaimed Twelfth Night on the S&Co. mainstage.
With over 40 roles at S&Co., his credits include The Merry Wives of Windsor, The Taming of the Shrew, King John, Much Ado About Nothing Henry V, The Tempest, CompleteWorks abridged, Twelfth Night, Richard III A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Merchant of Venice, Comedy of Errors, Custom of the Country, Twelfth Night, Macbeth, and Much Ado About Nothing.
Croy has directed many New England Tours of Shakespeare, Shakespeare in the Courts programs, Summer Institute productions, Shakespeare & Young Company performances, and more than 30 other in-school Residencies.
His regional acting credits include NY Shakespeare Festival, Missouri Rep, North Carolina Shakespeare Festival, and the Virginia Shakespeare Festival.
S&Co.’s usual range of discounting options are available for this performance, including discounts for groups, students, Seniors, and the very popular 40% Berkshire Resident Discount. The Bernstein is wheelchair accessible and hearing aid assisted. Contact the Box Office at (413) 637-3353 or boxoffice@shakespeare.org to order tickets or learn more about discount availability, or order tickets from www.shakespeare.org. The Elayne P. Bernstein Theatre is wheelchair-accessible.
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