Review: ROME 3000 adaptation of Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar at Canal Cafe Theatre 1 - 8 August 2022

‘A dystopian, Mad Max-esque twist to the tragedy that excites throughout.’ ★★★★

Adapting William Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar is no easy feat. However, The Shed Company churn out a dystopian, Mad Max-esque twist to the tragedy that excites throughout. The story follows Brutus, played brilliantly by Tor Leijten, conspiring with Cassius (Florence Guy) and Casca (Mathilde Majnoni) in the assassination of Julius Caesar, boldly played by Evan L. Barker in an Everton shirt. They fear Caesar is abusing his power and may cause harm to the people of Rome, in response, the trio stab Caesar to death at the senate house on the Ides of March. During Caesar’s funeral, Mark Antony (Alun Rees) turns the people of Rome against Caesar’s murderers through an invigorating speech, forcing Brutus and co-conspirators to flee Rome. As you can expect, like most Shakespeare’s plays, more death ensues.

Within a cabaret setting, Iwan Bond’s direction, with assistance from Evan L. Barker, merges live music with Shakespearean text to great success. The music (a real highlight of the night and something I was desperate to have more of), interweaves the ‘Spring Awakening’ feel and really modernised the tragedy, elevating the piece from other reworks of Shakespeare. I must say the energy that was carried through the piece was great, every new character introduced, such as Portia (Andrew Krueger) and Calpurnia (Clara Rozzi) rose to the pace set by others. These two actors representing the rabble on stage added to the eerie, post-apocalyptic tone that Bond and Barker were striving for, and they really stood out.

Originality is so key for modern day theatre and ROME 3000 ticks all the boxes. Despite minimal props and set, the audience was gripped from the beginning with the world that was created, clearly a lot of thought had gone into retelling Julius Caesar in a unique way, and I commend that. I’m excited to see how this play evolves within a larger space where the performers are not so confined to a black box space.

I’d argue at times it felt actors were too individual within their performances; sometimes on stage it felt less like watching an ensemble of actors working together and more of a monologue slam. Saying this, the company has bags of ability, it’s just about using that talent to be present within the scene and play the realness of the situation as a team.

The Shed Theatre Company are soon to transfer ROME 3000 to The Cockpit on the 12th & 13th August. I can’t recommend this show enough for audiences looking to find modern day Shakespeare told in a way that has you on the edge of your seat, and perfectly, runs at a time length of seventy-five minutes.

Camden Fringe

ROME 3000

By William Shakespeare, adapted by The Shed Theatre Company.

1st - 8th August

https://canalcafetheatre.com/our-shows/rome-3000/

Brutus – Tor Leijten
Cassius – Florence Guy
Casca – Mathilde Majnoni
Mark Antony – Alun Rees
Julius Caesar/Ghost – Evan L. Barker
Soothsayer 1/Calpurnia/Octavius – Clara Rozzi
Soothsayer 2/Portia/Lepidus – Andrew Krueger

Director: Iwan Bond

Assistant Director: Evan L. Barker

Movement Director: Andrew Krueger

Reviewed by Elan Butler

Elan is alumni of East15, The Nottingham TV Workshop and National Youth Theatre. He is an actor and writer, who represented East15 in the spotlight prize final, 2021. As a current member of Leicester Curves Playwriting course and Pentabus Young Writers, his main focus lies with contemporary theatre that aims to nurture new stories and break boundaries