CROYDEN'S CORNER
by Margaret Croyden
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| Margaret Croyden is a theater reviewer and essayist for the New York Theatre Wire. | |
Julius Caesar - What Price Stars
starring Denzel Washington
The Belasco Theater 111 West 44 Street
WWW.caesaronbroadway.com
Reviewed April 10,2005 by Margaret Croyden
What can I say about this production that would be positive? Almost nothing.
Except that the great Shakespeare play is still great with its superb quotable
lines that every school child knows. And from that point of view I tried to
listen very carefully. For "Caesar" has been the most popular Shakespeare
on every school curriculum, and it is one of my favorite plays. But it all
ends there. Casting the star Denzel Washington as Brutus was a huge mistake.
Washington cannot handle a role that complicated and that nuanced. Brutus
need an actor with a big voice, a huge presence, and the ability to carve
out the contradictions that made the noble Brutus turn killer. Denzel Washington
cannot do that: he has no bearing; he seems uncomfortable; his body language
is ungraceful; his voice and articulation are poor: he can barely be heard
at times, and his lines are sometimes muffled. Besides the beauty of his face
that a camera can catch, does not come across on stage. What was the director
thinking?
Another awful performance is Eamnonn Walker in the important role of Marc
Antony. By now all literate people know Antony's "Friends, Romans, Countryman"
speech and recognize the famous lines (as well Marlon Brando remarkable Antony
in the movies). I was appalled by an actor playing this role with a strained,
rasping voice who not only threw the lines away but failed to deliver the
bitter irony implicit in the speech. What I heard was a lot of unintelligible
phrasing. What was the director thinking?
But one performance did stand out: Colm Feore in the important role of Cassius,
the chief conspirator. Finally we heard Shakespeare rendered with an energetic,
clear voice, splendid enunciation and believable character playing. That he
was so good and Washington so bad threw the entire production out of balance.
When the two actors stood side by side, I felt it painful to watch Washington
groping for something to do and Feore plainly overshadowing him. But as good
as he was, Feore could not save the production.
Now for Daniel Sullivan's "modern" conception of the play--if there
was a clear conception. I am sick of modernizing Shakespeare, sick of the
cheap tricks to get a laugh when, for example, the hoods are frisked with
an electric mechanism. I am sick of the ugly set that looked like a bombed
out tunnel instead of magnificent Rome which, at the time of the play, was
in its glory. I am sick of those hoods dressed like American hoods wielding
machine guns while the conspirators kill Caesar with knives, when all around
we see guns. What is the logic in this?. And then there is the diminutive
Caesar (William Sadler) on a massage table (almost naked) getting into his
robe, but not before he exposes his backside, while his men look on. Then
there is blood all over the stage and on the killers' hands but it looked
like red ink, which undoubtedly it was.
I have yet to see upgraded Shakespeare that made much sense, or added another
dimension to the work. (If you know of one write me). Daniel Sullivan has
directed numerous plays; his bio is indeed impressive. So for a man with so
much experience to make such obvious mistakes is perplexing. Producers and
directors never learn do they? Movies stars may be great in film, but often
cannot project on stage. They are lost without the cameras to catch their
facial and body expressions. The camera as we know can heighten the actor's
talent, so matter how small that talent may be. Evidently Broadway producers
care not a fig for genuine performances. If the star sells tickets that all
that is necessary. And I suppose Denzel Washington sells tickets, no matter
how boring he is. So, does it pay to bring a star to Broadway even if the
part is unsuitable for him or her, that is the question. Well, the top ticket
for "Julius Caesar" is $100. And the houses are full. Does that
answer the question? [Croyden]
Margaret Croyden's most recent book is "Conversations with Peter Brook, 1970-2000" published by Farrar, Straus & Giroux
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