The notices are in for First Encounters: Julius Caesar, the RSC's 90-minute revival of Phyllida Lloyd's all-female prison staging, first seen at the Donmar Warehouse in 2012 and now at The Other Place in Stratford-upon-Avon after a five-week tour of secondary schools. Harriet Walter returns as Brutus, with Jackie Clune as Caesar, Jenny Jules as Cassius and Leah Harvey as Mark Antony. The critics are largely persuaded that the concept has not dated, and Walter's Brutus is the performance most of them single out. Where they part company is on how far the evening's raw energy carries it: one finds it slightly underwhelming for all its power, while others call it as urgent as it ever was.
3.9 / 5 from 7 criticsThe verdict: nine reviews so far, seven of them with a star rating: five stars from Beyond the Curtain, four from WhatsOnStage, All That Dazzles, The Real Chrisparkle and Brumhour, and three from Theatre and Tonic and The Stage, an average of 3.9 out of 5. British Theatre Guide and The Birmingham Press give no rating. Nearly everyone admires Harriet Walter's Brutus and the strength of the company around her. The reservations concern the delivery rather than the idea: muffled lines and loud music choices for one critic, a tendency to declaim in the early scenes for another.
What are critics saying about First Encounters: Julius Caesar?
Beyond the Curtain
Reviewer: Mark
Mark is the warmest of the critics so far. He calls the staging incendiary and rates Jackie Clune's Caesar as simply outstanding, alongside Leah Harvey's Mark Antony and Jenny Jules's Cassius.
"Harriet Walter gives a towering performance as Brutus."
He credits the intimacy of The Other Place for drawing the audience in, and thinks the production could start a lifelong love of theatre in someone meeting Shakespeare for the first time.
WhatsOnStage
Reviewer: Alison Brinkworth
Alison Brinkworth asks whether a production hailed as groundbreaking in 2012 has stood the test of time, and concludes that it is less revolutionary now but still lands hard.
"Yet, it’s ultimately Walter who commands the audience. She’s a force of nature on stage"
She praises Bunny Christie's floor-level staging, Clune's thuggish Caesar and a fine supporting cast, and expects the drill and rock-scored battle scenes to connect with younger audiences.
All That Dazzles
Reviewer: Raphael Kohn
Raphael Kohn points out, with some amusement, that this is a revival rather than a new idea, yet finds it still feels fresh and contemporary. He admires the boxed-in four-sided staging, Zeynep Kepekli's lighting and the detail of Walter's Brutus.
"Thought-provoking and shocking, it’s a remarkable theatrical achievement."
He reads Lloyd's framing as a pointed argument about how women in prison are treated, made with violence staged close enough to unsettle the front rows.
The Real Chrisparkle
"Four They’re Jolly Good Fellows!"
The blog finds the abridgement intelligent and the play-within-a-play frame genuinely layered, recalling the RSC's old success with Marat/Sade.
"Phyllida Lloyd’s production is electric to watch"
Its reservations are a tendency to declaim in the early scenes and some doubt about whether an Elvis lullaby means much to an 11-plus audience, but the performances, led by Walter and Jules, carry the day.
Brumhour
"A darkly stark production!"
Reviewer: Dave Massey
Dave Massey enjoys Clune's brash showman of a Caesar and the boxing-ring feel of the four-sided black box, with its prison joggers, floor projections and wall of sound.
"I had a great time and enjoyed every second."
He finds plenty of humour in the darkness, though he is less sure how newcomers to Shakespeare would read it all.
Theatre and Tonic
Reviewer: Mia
Mia sees the play's themes landing squarely with a modern audience and calls it a true ensemble piece, picking out Shalisha James-Davis's Portia, Harvey's Mark Antony, the chemistry between Walter and Clune, and Zeynep Kepekli's lighting.
"Raw, powerful and thought-provoking, this is a brave and brilliant piece, but overall is slightly underwhelming."
Against all that she sets muffled lines, flat intonation and some very loud music choices.
British Theatre Guide
Reviewer: Colin Davison
Colin Davison traces the production back to 2012 and finds the stripped-down language clear throughout. He reads the play here chiefly as an indictment of male ambition, and enjoys Clune's vain, capricious Caesar.
"Jules is tremendous as Cassius, all internal fire."
He reports that the pupils at his performance were rapt, and that he was too.
The Birmingham Press
"small-scale Shakespeare at its best"
Reviewer: Jessica Harris
Jessica Harris finds the shortened version faithful to the text, with the four leads sharply contrasted and the all-female cast giving the violence a new edge.
"There is no pandering here, no underestimating the capacity of young people…"
She sees a line from the play's crowd scenes to the personality cults of present-day politics.
Also reviewed by: The Stage (Holly O’Mahony, three stars, "Scorching visuals and excellent performances…"), whose review sits behind a paywall.
For the production photographs, see our first look at Harriet Walter as Brutus, and for more from Stratford our roundup of Middlemarch at the Swan Theatre.
First Encounters: Julius Caesar plays at the RSC’s The Other Place in Stratford-upon-Avon until 28 November.
For more information, visit the official website.
