Oh Caesar, Thou Art Mighty Yet

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After surviving another enervating election campaign, British Prime Minister Tony Blair might appreciate a night at the theatre. If he's looking for a break from politics, though, he should give veteran director Deborah Warner's much-vaunted new production of Shakespeare's Julius Caesar a wide berth. Warner uses the politicking of the Roman forum to draw a parallel with the perceived misdemeanors of Blair and U.S. President George W. Bush.

In case you miss the allusions on stage — Brutus, the play's noble but misguided statesman whose valiant attempt to protect the public goes desperately wrong has Blair written all over it, though the connection between Caesar and Bush is less obvious — Warner drives home her point by placing a photograph of Blair and Bush in her program alongside provocative lines from the text. "Alas, thou hast misconstrued everything!" reads one. There's little to misconstrue here, though. With the controversy over Iraq still festering, Julius Caesar is as relevant and poignant as ever. The basic story is well known: Roman Senators, worried that Julius Caesar has grown too powerful, conspire to assassinate him. Their action backfires, resulting in civil war and chaos.

Warner's production, brutal, bloody and brilliantly observed, focuses on the dangers of mixing friendships and politics without considering the consequences. It is a story for our times. Little wonder that a separate production of Shakespeare's grandest political drama is currently playing on Broadway starring Denzel Washington. But Caesar is also timeless and Warner has not simply transplanted Imperial Rome into Downing St. and the White House.

The production — which tours Paris, Madrid and Luxembourg after its London run ends in a few weeks — is actually set in contemporary Rome, where senators dress in sharp suits and the angry mob is equipped with hooded tops and skateboards. Though the adaptation is painstakingly detailed — the show runs three and a half hours — the delivery is never laboured. Each line is handled with a deftness that befits the cast Warner has assembled. And what a cast. British stage actor Anton Lesser takes on the Brutus role and manages to plumb the depths of a soul tormented by principles and shortsightedness. By the final act, Lesser's palpable anger, frustration and regret redeem Brutus as the object of our sympathies. Simon Russell Beale, a peerless Shakespearean actor, plays chief conspirator Cassius; bitter, brooding and consumed by envy and stunted ambition. Appearing rotund and crumpled next to the other senators, he nevertheless manages to capture the "lean and hungry look" that Caesar ascribes to him.

Ralph Fiennes, a reluctant Hollywood darling, grasps the part of Mark Antony with a passion that is sometimes missing from his roles on screen. In his famous speech at Caesar's funeral when he implores friends, Romans and countrymen, Fiennes subtly conveys his character's transformation from tentative orator to powerful demagogue. The thronging and fickle crowd — which had cheered for Brutus only moments earlier — morphs into a terrifying, braying mob.

Despite his death halfway through the play, Caesar retains his powerful grip over both his subjects and the plot: murdering him has made him a martyr as revered in death as in life. But one of the flaws in this production is that Caesar himself, though well-acted by John Shrapnel, lacks real menace. He is portrayed as an egocentric flesh-presser, but not one whose ambitions seem sufficiently threatening to warrant assassination. Other, more practical problems also tarnish the show. Tom Pye's spartan set works well as the cold marble steps of Rome's Capitol Hill and barren battlefields, but doesn't create enough atmosphere for more intimate moments. And, in the war scenes, all those extras suddenly disappear.

Still, Warner provides a welcome fresh take on a work that is more than 400-years old. The themes Shakespeare captures are univeral and will ring true for centuries to come. Tony Blair may not take heed, but until another performance offers something equally as vivid, this is the Julius Caesar to beat.