Julius Caesar - WAAPA Third Year Students at the Subiaco Theatre Centre

 The Pandemic has meant that I have seen this cohort of graduating WAAPA students less than previous ones. I was eager to see how this group of students were progressing

From the opening the production had a strongly stated sense of aggression – an animal spirit that manifested itself in the mob. The panther like movements towards the corpse of Caesar during Mark Antony’s speech worked with a kind of savage ferocity that worked well.  

As always with being an audience for young actors I ask myself key questions. How effectively was the meaning of the text interpreted and communicated? How well was the physicality of the character shown? 

This production revealed some excellent text interpretation that captured the nuance of meaning and was well-paced. Having noted that, particularly in the scenes between Brutus and Casca,  there were some sections that were less successful. Part of the issue for us, is that we know so many of the often-quoted speeches so well, that we spot missed opportunities more easily. It’s not easy to carry off lines like Cry “Havoc!” and let slip the dogs of war… or chart the nuances of shifting irony of the repetition of Brutus is an honourable man… But the play depends on them. 

There is a curious conundrum about this play. As is so often the case and also evident in this production, the title is abbreviated from the original: The Tragedy of Julius Caesar. How can this be a tragedy – in a classical sense – if the main character is dead by the beginning of Act 3 Scene 1? And what is Caesar's fatal flaw? Who are the real protagonists in this play? Brutus? Mark Antony? Casca and the Conspirators? One of the questions for this group of actors to answer: who do the audience most value as they leave the theatre? In this production I came away with a stronger sense of Brutus. I wonder if that was the director’s and actors’ intention.  

The animal imagery and savagery was evoked powerfully. Full blooded battle scenes were staged well. The costuming gave a vaguely stated sense of time and place. We have become used to cross-gender casting. Accepting the convention brings with it a blurring of expectations. But I was worried by some of the physicality choices in one cross gender role that relied heavily on contemporary gestures and body language from teen TikToc portrayals. The licking knives touches from schlock horror flicks also occasionally verged on the laughable. 

The simple setting of three broken columns and a simply raised dais evoked a sufficiently classical mood. Subtly through the action of the play, the broken columns changed lighting states, glowed from an inward lighting and, at the crucial moments of Caesar’s assassination, flowed with blood. Simple, but effective. 

The Subiaco Theatre Centre MainStage with its corner stage is a warm and forgiving performance space. It is kind on voices. The production made excellent use of the various entrances through the audience (though a couple of times, errant swords in hilts, might have been perilously close to those sitting in the aisle seats!).

As always, I am interested to see our forthcoming generation as they stand on the cusp of the profession. Overall, I was not disappointed by the promise shown.