Julius Caesar, The Globe

A stellar Shakespearian cast is assembled for the opening of Julius Caesar at the Globe. It's an edge-of-the-seat thriller, where hero Brutus is tormented by his betrayal of the emperor.

The Play...

Bursting with famous lines about the nature of power and loyalty, Brutus is coerced by his friend Cassius into joining the Senate in an assassination attempt on Julius Caesar. Though unconvinced at first that Caesar has become too ambitious, Cassius finally persuades him by claiming that greatness is not godgiven.

 “Men at some time are masters of their fates;

The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars,

But in ourselves, that we are underlings.”

But even after Caesar is removed, the noble Mark Antony gathers up an army against the conspirators. 

The People...

Tom McKay stars as Brutus. The charismatic actor has been gradually making a name for himself in TV series such as The White Queen and Hatfields and McCoys alongside Kevin Costner. Up-and-comer Luke Thompson returns to the Globe after his award-winning Lysander in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, to play Mark Antony. It’s an interesting move to make both protagonists so young but the parts have been entrusted to two very capable actors.

Though Shakespeare included few women in this play, the actresses here are the best of the best. One of the RSC’s greatest assets, Katy Stephens takes on Calphurnia, wife to Caesar. Winner of What’s on Stage’s Best Actress for her work with the Royal Shakespeare Company, her recent portrayal of Tamora in their Titus Andronicus of last year was described as “bewitching” by The Stage magazine. 

The Production...

This new production is directed by the theatre’s artistic director, Dominic Dromgoole. Interestingly the last time it was tackled at the Globe was by Dromgoole’s predecessor, Mark Rylance, back in 1999 with an all-male cast. It is a powerful and political play, but it is the passionate soliloquies and the complex characters that attract directors of such high calibre. 

Discussing his role and rehearsals, Tom McKay promises beautiful songs and music accompanying the play. The actors have been working with world-experts in Shakespeare’s verse and, as Dromgoole does with every one of his shows, they have worked through the entire play line by line to pin down meaning and emotion. “I was immersed in [Shakesperian theatre] from quite a young age,” McKay explains, “It’s my first time at the Globe... so I’m sucking all information and advice I can from the others. Above all, it’s a place where people come to watch and enjoy and engage in plays. So I absolutely want to respect and learn from the space.”