Smart directing from Cherissa Richards, crisp and clever editing by Stephen Drover and shrewdly chosen projections (Candelario Andrade) fashion a taut and immediately modern scenario. Gone are the discontented and easily moved citizens of Rome and in their place are news clips of contemporary demonstrations. Trouble in the streets of Rome becomes immediately familiar. So, too, the political situation: Julius Caesar is the charismatic leader who may be about to abuse his power. What actions should or should not be taken are explored in the first half of the play; the second half demonstrates the consequences.

Andrew Wheeler's Caesar exudes confident power spot-lit by self-deprecating modesty, all iron fist in a velvet glove. His wife, Calphurnia, the elegant Sharon Crandall, cannot convince him to be circumspect at the expense of his self-esteem; nor can the Soothsayer, a deeply serious and fairly terrifying Scott Bellis.

Appalled by Caesar’s ambition, anguished at the thought of violent action, Brutus must make a moral choice. Andrew McNee is unsettled and jittery but no match for the aggrieved Cassius. Emma Slipp inhabits Cassius like a tornado. Pent-up rage energises her as she recruits co-conspirators, distributes fake news, and details the assassination plans. Her utter dedication to her cause and her underlying military professionalism come to the fore in a well-constructed character arc as the two sides prepare for battle. McNee, too, gains strength to equal hers with the result that their fight for control is powerful and compelling. His relationship with young Lucius is carefully built from the beginning to a shocking conclusion.

Fights by Jonathan Hawley Purvis, so immediate they might have come off today's news screens, and an ominous soundscape by Kate De Lorme underline and enforce mood and action. Pam Johnson's set is abstract and convincingly both hyper-modern (Caesar's golden dressing-room all set about with self-portraits is to die for) and classically referenced with fluted columns and Latin tags. Elegant lines and contemporary uniforms characterize Jessica Oostergo's costumes.

This is clear and intelligible Shakespeare, persuasive, manipulative, emotional, disturbing and exciting, a thriller as much for our times as any Elizabethan's.

© 2023 Elizabeth Paterson