Embedded Files
By Raphaël Wallez
Julius Caesar is not only one of the most known historical figures, but also the name of a play written by an equally famous person: Shakespeare. And on the 25th of January, I got to watch an amazing production of said play by Emily Bowles.
This version of Julius Caesar is set in a modern Italy, and reflects a lot on our current world. From the contemporary settings to the ingenuous transposition of old historical characters to current politics, Emily Bowles creates a profound and breathtaking revisiting of Shakespeare’s masterpiece.
In my opinion, one of the most powerful moments of the play was the newsfeed flashing right after the interlude. At this point in the story, we know Caesar was murdered, and we know of the rising conflict between Brutus and Mark Antony. We are then met with a flash of newspaper headlines and pictures, explaining that a civil war has started, and giving us opinions or insight on what’s happening. I think this was a genius idea, as it very accurately represents some problems we are currently facing in our society. By making the headlines appear and disappear very quickly, we can see a reflection on our social media’s tendency to overflow us with information. With all that is happening in the world nowadays, there is always a million important things going on. Even as you might be reading this article, some orange conspiracist president might be discussing his new (*looks up other words for clownish*) political ideas. It also represents the difficulty we sometimes have of differentiating what is real from what is not in articles or news. From exaggerations and biases to cherry-picking and other bad faith techniques, it can be hard to separate facts from opinions. This part alone conveys all that, while keeping the main goal of moving the story forward. And this is only one of the numerous passages offering insightful reflections on our modern society!
Another amazing part of this play was the actors. All of them were absolutely incredible, from the citizens of Rome, giving us a feeling of true immersion, to Caesar’s charisma. I loved Brutus and Portia’s argument, purely because of the actors’ talent, and Caesar’s murder scene was more than impressive. Mark Antony, Cassius and Brutus were all deeply touching and eloquent speakers. However, it is probably the final scene that marked me the most, and I can only start to describe how powerful this moment was.
I’m not going to lie (although my English teacher might never talk to me again after this), I have very mixed feelings towards Shakespeare, and I usually find it… kind of boring. Which is the reason why I find it so incredible that people continue to adapt them in creative and smart ways. This production was clearly one of the best adaptations I have ever seen, and I am so glad I had the chance to enjoy it!
Photos by Ben Peuch
Page updated
Report abuse