One of William Shakespeare’s greatest pieces “Julius Caesar” is a classic, which has been adapted in many different ways over the years. But the all women cast of the Donmar Warehouse in London and director Phyllida Lloyd have created a new spin on the play with their gender role reversed story. This play, which opened at St. Ann’s Warehouse in Brooklyn, is set in a women’s prison and dives deep into a pit of jealousy and avarice for power within a hierarchal system.
The fact that it is an all women performance does not detract from the bravado and machismo the original “Julius Caesar” displayed. The writer of this article Ben Brantley mentions, “this interpretation of one of Shakespeare’s most manly tragedies, generates a higher testosterone level than any I have seen.” The use of a prison setting to display this work is not an untried method, neither is the use of gender reversal; but the use of both methods simultaneously creates an avant-garde work that is increasingly intense. Brantley comments on how even before the beginning of the play it immerses you into its world. Upon entering the audience members are marshaled in through a no-exit holding pen by uniformed jailers. They are then seated to behold a gloomy common room used for recreation in which soon they play would begin.
Some of the cast includes Ms. Frances Barber who commands the role of Caesar in the most butch sense. Caesar dominates over the prison with an iron fist, keeping “his Rome” organized. He goes as far as to physically abuse his fellow inmates and his wife Calpurnia played by Jade Anouka. Brantley says, “It sometimes takes a woman to show us what men are truly made of.” The fact that women are playing men mocks some of accepted masculine ideals of power and provides women a voice, were as in Shakespeare’s original male ruled work women have scarcely any power.
I believe a performance like this promotes women empowerment and gives new life and a modern spin to the classic. I would not mind seeing more performances like this, in which new viewpoints are provided to commonly known subjects. I believe that art is open to interpretation and allows people to either relate to the artist message or inspire new ideas and concepts.
I would like to know if you believe the use of gender role reversal in plays and other works of art would diminish the power and message of a piece, or provide a new clarity or interpretation?
Works Cited
Brantley, Ben. “Friends, Romans, Countrywomen” New York Times Theater Review. 9 Oct. 2013: C1. http://theater.nytimes.com. Web. 10 Oct. 2013.
This is a really cool article and an interesting spin on the classic play. Julius Caesar is actually my favorite of all Shakespeare’s plays, due to the intensity of the characters and the themes that carry the story in such a fast pace. I thought the original play on Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar was very different, as can be seen in this article “A Timeless Thirst for Power” http://theater.nytimes.com/2013/10/09/theater/the-political-lessons-of-julius-caesar.html?src=me
The original play had Denzel Washington in it too, which I think is awesome because he is such a strong actor. The article that I linked was saying about how timeless the play is, that it is applicable to today’s government with corruption deceit and all the fun that comes with it. The writer of the article goes as far as saying the republicans are basically trying to stab Obama by destroying Obamacare so intensely. I think an all female cast, however cool that may seem, will retract from the story slightly. Because although it is sad, politics were mainly run by men back in 33BC and are still mainly run by men now. So it is almost making this story which is based in fact and relatable, fiction. That is just my opinion based on the article you linked, I would need to see the actual play before I gave my actual opinion. To answer the question you posed at the end, it will not diminish the message of the story, there is no way to diminish such a classic piece of literatures message, it will only give new life to the play from a new perspective.
I absolutely love the idea of a classic play (nothing more classic than Shakespeare) and breathing new life into it. Whether that process is done by giving the play a new setting (a prison) or by reversing the roles between genders, a new twist is always fun in art. I agree with you that a main focus of creating art should be to inspire others to add or interpret what is in front of them. When thinking about something classic and either modernizing or altering it, the first piece of entertainment that came to my mind was “Joseph and the Coat of Many Colors”: http://www.nytimes.com/movies/movie/242793/Joseph-and-the-Coat-of-Many-Colors/overview
One of my favorite movies of my childhood took a seemingly sad and trying episode and gave it a colorful, positive spin. Art is supposed to be a vehicle to not only express oneself, but to respond to others as well. This article did a great job of showing that creativity does not need to come from “out of nowhere”, but that even reimagining classic can be true art.
Your article immediately reminded me of The Metamorphosis dance we saw together as a class. I noticed, and I am sure many others noticed as well, that the women played multiple roles in the dance. In fact, one of the bearded men was a woman who played multiple roles. The best part is once I figured it out I loved that character even more. This just comes to show the wide range of talent that each dancer embodied. It doesn’t matter as if you are a man or a woman; it just matters if you are fit for the roll. She clearly was, she went from one side of the spectrum to the other with ease.
From this article (http://www.nytimes.com/2003/04/13/theater/theater-a-man-plays-a-woman-without-any-disguise.html) it is clear that using the opposite gender in a role is a very common and effective practice. This is what makes theater so great and interesting. As long as the right actor is found, any role in a play can be convincing.