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National Theatre Live: Julius Caesar (2018)
Next Best Thing to Live
We recently saw the National Theater (from England) Live production of Julius Caesar at a movie theater near to us. Not the closest theater to us, mind you--we had to drive past several to get to this one. But that's another issue.
Shakespeare on film tends to fall into one of three categories. There are film adaptations such as "O," or "She's the Man" or "Ran." There are film versions of the plays. Branagh's "Hamlet" from 1994 or the BBC's "Hollow Crown" series are great examples. And then there are filmed versions of stage productions. Shakespeare's Globe in London has done a few of these, most notably, "Twelfth Night." NT Live's "Julius Caesar" falls into this last category.
Watching a production at a movie theater has some definite advantages. The seats, especially at the theater we were at, are much more comfortable than most live theater seating that I can remember. Due to the size of the screen and the way movie theater seats are arranged, you never miss a thing. And of course, you can order popcorn and make a big mess at your seat with it. Try bringing something like that into a live theater production and see what happens!
On the other hand, there are some downsides as well. Although you have a great view, you see only what the camera wants you to see. Film versions tend to focus on whoever's speaking, which makes sense. As a result, however, you are not able to glance around to see what the other people on stage are doing. There can be technical difficulties. At the showing we were at there was a sound synching issue (you heard the words a half second or so after you saw the person say the word). The theater manager was standing outside the door with free passes as a way of apology, so kudos to them!
There is something lost in watching a filmed stage production. Two things are lost, actually. First, the experience is two dimensional: flat, if you will. Live theater is three dimensional. Secondly, the idea of a moment in time is lost. When you see a play live, even if it's the hundredth time that particular company has done that particular show, it's still the only time that performance will be done by that group on that date in that space. Today's performance may be much better than the day prior, and it may be much worse than the day following. But it will never be exactly the same. It's what makes theater, theater.
Despite the downsides, the greatest advantage of seeing a production like NT Live's Julius Caesar is that you get the opportunity to see the production, something most of us on this side of the pond would not have the opportunity to do. Second, even if you were in London, you would have to pay more to see it. The cost of the ticket to see it on the big screen ($15) was almost certainly way less than what it would have cost to see it truly live.
NT Live's production was a great one. Ben Whishaw is wonderful as Brutus, who really is the main character. Good old Julius is bumped off well before the half way point. Except for a short appearance as a ghost later on, he is absent for most of the play. Ben Whishaw was in the Hollow Crown series as Richard II (sad stories about the death of kings . . .). David Calder takes the title role. Mr Calder had taken on King Lear at Shakespeare's Globe in 2008 among many other roles. Michelle Fairley, previously seen in such films as Harry Potter and TV shows like Game of Thrones, was Caius Cassius, she of "the lean and hungry look." David Morrissey, who plays Mark Antony, has an impressive theater resume. A couple of years with the Royal Shakespeare Company and productions with the Almeida Theatre and Cheek by Jowl (all theaters that Bardwatching has seen in performance), not to mention numerous film and television credits. I suppose most will currently recognize him from the cast of The Walking Dead.
Put these four actors together, throw in a rock band singing Twisted Sister numbers and a play that literally happens in the middle of the audience, and you have a great production. My only regret, and it's not a huge one, is that I did not see it live.