Julius Caesar
Icarus Theatre have twisted the original Shakespeare play and flung it into the future with their new re-imagined tale of ‘Julius Caesar’ currently showing at Southwark Playhouse Borough. Directed by Max Lewendel, this creative concept launches you into a cyber world of power, lust and political agendas. From the very beginning it’s clear the aim is to shake up the traditional way of telling this story and provide an incredibly inclusive version by using captioning. By using large screens, both framing the edges and featured on stage, subtitle projections are incorporated and woven into the storyline, making theatre easily accessible to deaf and hard of hearing audience members. With such a commendable cause, it is a shame the execution was over-complicated and underwhelming. For a modern retelling, thankfully they didn’t change the text and kept Shakespeare’s language the same.
Interestingly, screens were used for captioning and essentially subtitling the whole play. This is a great idea in theory and refreshingly inclusive for those with impaired hearing. What’s apparent in the piece is that by using digital set up you can also feature more ‘bodies’ in the background to fill the space even with a smaller cast. It’s clear the aim is to incorporate visual and auditory aids into a show which is a beautiful idea and one which has my full support. However, by putting the text as the focal point, you illuminate them and dull the presence of the actors in what then becomes a read-along show.
Even though at first it’s greatly welcomed to have the character’s name pop up as they speak (especially when we have multi-rolling actors) it quickly becomes exhausting. It was an ambitious feat to use so much digital technology with Shakespeare, especially for the actors - making some spoken errors in lines awkwardly noticeable. Is this too much pressure for the actors to be word perfect or do they simply need more time with the text?
By using digital effects we were able to witness some ‘tricks’, however after the initial novelty has worn off, you’re left completely over stimulated with pop ups. (No doubt triggering flashbacks from the fateful virus on your painfully slow computer in 2001.)
As well as the costumes, the set has also been designed by Flavio Graff and consists of three revolving wooden structures, being used as boards for the digital projections and occasionally opening up to reveal a lighter, mirrored space inside.
If you are able to ignore all of the external distractions and maintain your attention purely on the acting, the performances still leave you craving a light-heartedness. Everything about this production is dark, from the lighting to the costumes to the set, which is only darkened further due to the intensity held in the characters.
As an audience we don’t get enough of a chance to relate with the characters and form any kind of emotional connection meaning, regrettably, the overall message is absented. The cast of 11 actors were readably trying their best to bring the performance to life in their gloomy clothing. Unfortunately they were all dressed in dark, drab costumes lacking vibrancy and class, not quite living up to the stylish mood board in the programme. The kinky embellishments would have been more effective if delivered with a higher budget perhaps, or just more sophistication as instead we simply experienced lightly kissing and tentatively passing around a flogger.
Icarus Theatre’s version of the play which is famous for the popular quote ‘It’s all Greek to me’ definitely posses potential and isn’t completely irredeemable, however the obscure concept could do with some serious reworking.
This innovative version of Julius Caesar is certainly ambitious however falls flat mostly due to over-loading the audience with excessive stimuli. As an audience member, Shakespeare plays already require a higher level of concentration, however with all the distractions of the special effects, it became a tiresome task to keep focus on the acting itself. By invading our senses with an overwhelming amount of onscreen visuals, the heart of the piece was lost.
The potential is there to have a cool, unique take on this famous Shakespeare play, however the execution isn’t quite reaching the expert mode yet. I’d be interested to watch their next production Macbeth to see the BSL incorporated as a much more simplistic alternative for inclusive theatre.
This show was reviewed on the 13th September 2024 at Southwark Playhouse Borough, London where it runs until 5th October 2024. Tickets available here: Shakespeare's Julius Caesar at Southwark Playhouse
Review written by Lauren Atkinson
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Photo credit: Adrian Warner
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