what: julius caesar by william shakespeare
where: the raven theatre center, edgewater
accompaniment: my trusty theatre partner dustin.
drinkability: i saw a sunday matinee so no booze for me. but i did see a snack and refreshment bar!
show length: 2 hrs, 15 minutes + 10 minute intermission
out of four: two and a half/four
after opening my own shakespeare show this past weekend what else was there to do on a sunday afternoon but go see a kick-ass group of ladies come together to present the ever-popular election year pick: julius caesar??
this was my first babes with blades production i've been able to attend, though i've taken part in a couple of workshops with them which rendered me quite sore the following days. (you know, in that good way where you get to say "MAN my hips hurt from swinging around a sword for three hours!") it was also my first trip up to the raven theatre in edgewater which has the cutest little parking lot outside, albeit filled by the time we got there due to a soldier's play opening its run at 3pm.
the set for this babes' production was rather plain, boasting only a few steps, columns, and curtains to set the stage for this historic tragedy. i anxiously awaited the text to begin to see what lengths they had taken to address or ignore the all-female cast. turns out: they ignored it. all of the players were "he" and "him" and "sir" (minus the actual female characters, of course). while i was hoping for a complete transformation of the text to females, i simply forgot about it as the play went on and accepted it as it was.
the other aspect i was most looking forward to was obviously, the sword and fight work. caesar's death scene has an exciting explosion of bodies around him, but you see no actual sword play as the women step back to show a dead caesar, displayed only by a bloody cloth draped over the body. we don't get to see more violence until shortly before the end of the play when the armies of brutus and antony finally clash. the choreographed machete fights were fun to watch, especially with multiple combatants, but i was left wishing that they were a bit tighter and with an element of danger that didn't really feel like it was there. nonetheless, it was exciting to watch and i simply left wishing i could see more!
the actresses in this production were really impressive. i was blown away by antony, played by diana coates, performing with such vocal power and poise. according to the program she's a new transplant to the city and i am sure we'll see her more. brutus, portrayed by kimberly logan (a bwb ensemble member) was also impressive in her lead role. also: the costumes...whew! kimberly g. morris kills it, specifically with the uniforms at the end. when i as an actor sit in the audience wishing i could have a chance to wear those costumes, you know something has been done right.
**added bonus/shameless plug: if you go see their show you can get a $5 discount on RICHARD III tickets (in which i am playing lady anne) by bringing in your program to any of our productions. i love collaborations!
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upcoming march shows:
tuesday the 26th 8pm: lights out theatre company's skin!
saturday the 30th 8pm: right brain project's the bacchae
join me, will you?
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