Julius Caesar - Globe Theatre

The general himself

CAESAR - CAESAR - CAESAR - CAESAR!

I haven't been particularly keen on other Roman plays of Shakespeare's - namely 'Antony and Cleopatra' and 'Coriolanus' - so I didn't have great expectations for this one. But, as it turned out, I enjoyed it very much.

There was a little puppet show put on for the groundlings in the queue just before entering the theatre proper, about the history of Julius Caesar prior to the events shown in the play, which was useful for Roman history ignoramuses such as myself.

I managed to get a very good leaning position despite being about fifteenth in the queue. Well done, self. There was a triangular build-out from the centre of the stage. During the fifteen minutes before the start of the performance, actor workmen put the finishing touches to a Roman balcony structure with colonnades. Then members of the Roman public infiltrated the yard and everyone chanted 'Caesar! Caesar! Caesar!', which was fun and created the right sort of atmosphere. And then Caesar himself strode through the yard to the stage, in triumphal procession.

The first half focussed on the plot to kill Caesar and its accomplishment. It was very gripping, tense and full-on. Music is always used to good effect at the Globe. On this occasion there were low, gutteral-type horns that reminded me of 'Lord of the Rings', for some reason, and the usual drums etc. The two leads (Brutus and Mark Antony) both conveyed well the complexity of their characters - one felt some degree of sympathy for them both. Both were also extremely attractive. I'd seen Luke Thompson, who played Mark Antony, last year in 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' and 'Bluestockings', and found him attractive then. Tom McKay, who played Brutus, I'd never seen before (other than in 'The White Queen'; thank you, Google), and I didn't immediately find him attractive but he grew on me during the play, until, by the end, I found him the most good-looking person in it. I don't know...there's something about Jacobean garb combined with Roman accoutrements...Ahem.

The women's parts weren't up to much, but they were played well. Both women, Portia and Calpurnia, were defined solely in relation to their husbands and one of them ended up committing suicide. Although, thinking about it, almost everyone did in this play.

The 'Friends, Romans, countrymen' bit was very good, with the crowd rapidly transferring their sympathies to Mark Antony. 'Julius Caesar' was the perfect kind of play for the Globe as it involved crowd scenes, so the groundlings were able to act as the crowd/mob. I felt that this production made excellent use of the Globe's space in this regard.

I didn't enjoy the second half as much, as I felt that most of the dramatic energy and interest in the play lay in the plotting and carrying out of the murder, and its immediate aftermath. However, I enjoyed the appearance of Caesar's ghost and loved the bit where Brutus sees Strato as Caesar. I was genuinely moved when Brutus, upon seeing Cassius' dead body, said:

Friends, I owe more tears 
To this dead man than you shall see me pay.
I shall find time, Cassius, I shall find time. 

I can understand the feeling of having to 'put off' grief for a more convenient time.

The weather, despite raining lightly near the beginning, held out. A thunderstorm would have suited the atmosphere of the play, but I'm glad it didn't happen.

The jig was one of THE best I have ever seen at the Globe. Possibly the best. It went on for a long time and there was much foot-stamping and gutteral horn blowage.

Next: The Comedy of Errors

Bring up the Bodies - Aldwych Theatre

Bring up the Bodies book cover

I saw this in mid August, so this review is delayed. Bad me. I enjoyed this more than 'Wolf Hall', but I think that's more because I prefer the story of 'Bring up the Bodies' than because the production was significantly better.

I really didn't like the block-y metal decoration thing above the stage. I presume it was there specifically for these plays  - WHY, though? It went well with the concrete walls, but I wasn't keen on them, either. Concrete and the Tudor era just don't go well together.

Like 'Wolf Hall', 'Bring up the Bodies' was rushed and there wasn't a great deal of atmosphere. Thomas Cromwell wasn't sufficiently sagacious or in control. Some of his movements were frenetic and indicative of anxiety, which is not how Mantel's Cromwell should be. In the book he comes across as completely reliable, steady, unflappable and sure of himself. As well as a genius.

I liked the bit near the beginning where ghosts from Cromwell's past appeared, including his wife.

Regarding dramatic pauses, there was a decent dramatic pause during the interrogation of Mark Smeaton. Well done, 'Bring up the Bodies'. 

Jane Seymour was annoying. Sorry, but she was. In the book Jane Seymour is quite a complex character - she's quiet, apparently shy, doesn't really fit in at court, among her family, or with anyone else, and has an unexpected kind of sense of humour. In the play they've made her stupid. Which is a shame. Her put-on undulating voice was annoying.

Costumes again were wonderful. Jane Seymour's gown right at the end was particularly beautiful.

An indication of how good/impactful a production was is how much one thinks about it afterwards. I'm afraid I didn't think much about this one. For both productions, I felt that everything important was included, plotwise. The costumes were perfect. A lot of Mantel's dialogue was used. But...they lacked soul and genuine drama. Most of the main characters were two-dimensional and created through a very literal interpretation of Mantel's books. The plays somehow seemed a bit commercial rather than properly thought through.

Next: Julius Caesar