The Utah Shakespearean Festival's production of "Julius
Caesar" is a riveting socio-political drama that's as relevant today as
it was in Shakespeare's or the real Julius Caesar's. The traditional production
seems to drive this home all the more. If you like traditional 
Shakespeare
as Will might have seen it, then Cedar City, Utah is the place to go.
Shakespeare paints Caesar as a man of the people. The play opens buoyantly with
a celebration of the tradesmen. They love Caesar. On the balcony above, two
conspirators, the aristocracy, question them. One tradesman who is in a position
where he can't be seen from above, mocks them. The soothsayer lurks in the shadows.
Caesar's procession enters and he's such a charismatic figure that the audience
applauds his mere entrance. He turns and addresses the audience. This concerns
Brutus, who is being harangued by Cassius to join the conspiracy. Cassius drips
of envy and jealousy of Caesar but Brutus' only concern is for Rome. Unfortunately,
he doesn't have the confidence that the 
people
can choose. Each time a cheer goes up from inside the arena, Brutus moves closer
to joining the conspiracy. When he learns that Antony's offering of a crown
to Caesar is the cause of the cheers, he joins in.
The thunder and lightning terrify Casca on the eve of the
assassination. He sees it as a terrible omen. Cassius is in his element, though.
He struts and swaggers as if this is the sign of his power and the omen of his
success. When they go to persuade Brutus, Portia notes these men who have come
to visit whose cause is such that they hide their faces from the darkness. She
pleads with Brutus to tell her what's happening, but when he agrees Caius Ligarius
knocks, and Brutus leaves with him.
Caesar is almost persuaded to not go to the Senate, but in an ironic twist,
it's when Decius says that the Senate will offer him a crown that day, he goes.
The assassination is pretty straight forward, but it still sends chills up your
spine. When Brutus stabs him he falls into his arms. It's almost humorous when
Brutus suggests they bathe their hands in Caesar's
blood, wave their weapons over their heads and run to the public square yelling
"Peace." When Antony agreed to join them if he is allowed to praise
Caesar, he shakes hands with them. They all flinch, Casca wags his knife, then
perfunctorily grabs his hand and moves away.
"Julius Caesar" is my favorite Shakespeare play, and I seem to have
some sort of weird cosmic connection to it. Both times I've seen it outdoors,
something has happened. In Ashland, thunder and lightning shook the sky when
the ghost of Caesar appeared to Brutus. In Cedar City, this time, it started
to rain after the assassination and, while Antony was grieving over Caesar's
body, came down so hard that the play was stopped for about fifteen minutes.
Then then rain stopped, and the rest of the evening was fine.
The scene in the square is one of the best examples of mans' herd mentality
in theater. Brutus presents his reasons for killing Caesar and the crowd goes
from wanting to kill him 
to
"Hail Brutus!" you have saved us from a tyrant. Next Antony speaks
, and they all come over to his side to the point that, after the reading of
the will, the next thing you hear, aside from the general riot in the streets
is that Brutus and Cassius have fled the city.
The supposed will of Caesar, as read by Antony is a classic example of public
welfare vs. private greed, and cements Caesar's place as a man of the people.
He leaves all his gardens and estates to the general public, so that they have
access to these lands for their enjoyment. The conspirators, have all, save
Brutus, acted out of jealousy and envy. It's like they're afraid something's
going to be taken from them and given to the common folk by Caesar. Antony and
Octavius scheme to divide up the empire between themselves and Lepidus, but
they're even trying to cut him out.
The appearance of the ghost of Caesar to Brutus is always a chilling scene,
and it was here. Caesar says he will see Brutus at the Battle of Philippi. With
all the strategic blunders by Cassius and Brutus, they still win the day, before
turning their swords on themselves when they think erroneously, that they've
lost. You never see Caesar there, but as Brutus points out, his spirit is everywhere.
Joe Cronin is a temendous Caesar. He's someone you would follow. He's extremely
charismatic, a commanding presence. Donald Sage Mackay's Brutus is agonizing
over every decision. Most turn out wrong, too, from the assassination to the
decision to march to Philippi to do battle. He's a philosopher, and very honorable.
Micheal Kevin's Casca is determined but unsure. Octavius is portrayed as very
intelligent with an arrogance to him by Cameron McNary. At the end, after the
conquest he walks off with a bounce in his step and a half smirk on his face.
This tremendous production of "Julius Caesar" continues, along with
"The Tempest," "Two Gentlemen of Verona," "Ah, Wilderness!,"
"Arsenic and Old Lace," and "The Pirates of Penzance" through
October 20 at The Utah Shakespearean Festival
at Cedar City.
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