Now open at The Space in Limehouse, Little Lion Theatre Company have revitalised Shakespeare in their production of Portia’s Julius Caesar.
As the title suggests, this is the story of the Ides of March from the point of view of a woman, Portia (wife of Brutus), and the other women on the periphery of the play.
Eight women take on fourteen parts in this impressive refocus of a oʻstory we may feel we all know.
Playwright Kaitlyn Riordan brings in new characters of all classes from Brutus’s mother to servant women to swing the narrative away from the male gaze.
Under Kay Brattan’s direction, Portia’s Julius Caesar is a stripped-back, powerful production that zooms in on families, power plays, and where women fit into the seats of power.
Kaya Bucholc’s Portia, Catherine Mieses’s Brutus, and Cicely Halkes-Wellstead’s Mark Antony are particularly strong in a script that mixes Shakespeare’s words (not just the play, but also sonnets and poems) with folk music.
There has been a trend right from the time of the Bard in the 16th century to include music in his plays, and we know that the female parts were played by men when first performed.
Little Lion subvert this by having a company of women play the Emperor and his killers (Rachael Reshma’s Caesar and Rosemary Lippard’s Cassius are very good).
Speeches like Antony’s “lend me your ears” acquire a new focus and verve.
I found this a play that fits seamlessly alongside Canonic productions while embracing staging and performance decisions, which are a little hit different.
The cast is rounded out by Ellen Trevaskiss as Calpurnia, Oihane Rodríguez as Servilia and Tresillian Brown is Soothsayer, Casca & Cleopatra.
They sing and move together in the spirit of sisterhood, a distaff mimic of the senators marching to commit murder.
This play will appeal strongly to Shakespeare fans and devotees of Roman history, as well as those who enjoy the unfolding of a good story performed with energy and commitments.
This production of Portia’s Julius Caesar is the first full-length version to play outside of the USA. It is at The Space until 20 Apr with tickets here.
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For more on Little Lion Theatre Company, go here.