Julius Caesar - Stratford Upon Avon Tickets

Lucy Bailey returns to the Royal Shakespeare Company to direct “Julius Caesar” after a successful run in 2009, with Greg Hicks revisiting the role of the famous Roman dictator. The cast also includes Sam Troughton as Decius Brutus and John Mackay as Cassius, whilst the stage of the Courtyard Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon provides the stomping ground of one of Shakespeare’s classic Roman tragedies.

Bailey made her RSC debut with “Julius Caesar” when it appeared last year and has previously worked for Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre with productions such as “Timon of Athens” and “Titus Andronicus”. Her other credits include “Twelfth Night” and “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” for the Royal Exchange Theatre and “The Postman Always Rings Twice”, with Val Kilmer, at the Playhouse Theatre in 2005.

With “Julius Caesar” she presents a play that has remained relevant and compelling after many years. It is believed to have been set to paper in 1599, during a time of great uncertainty in England; Elizabeth I had failed to name a successor and the result was widespread fear of civil war following her death. The resulting play focuses on a time in Roman history when the death of an emperor at the hands of his conspirators takes Rome into uncharted territory. It stands up alongside the likes of “Antony and Cleopatra” and “Coriolanus” as Shakespeare’s legendary dabbling in Roman history and has had a profound effect on popular culture in the 400 years since its inception.

Caesar is famous for appearing in few scenes of the play that takes his name. Instead the focus is on the likes of Brutus and fellow conspirators as growing resentment begins to circle around the Emperor and his plans to transform Rome from a Republic and into a Dictatorship. Despite the warnings of the ‘Ides of March’, Caesar is none the wiser to the plans and is aware that he is a strong figure in the minds of the public. It is a sentiment originally shared by Brutus, a senator who is very close to the ruler and only comes round to the idea of taking his life when he accepts that it will save Rome from disaster. The result is Caesar’s assassination and Rome embarking into a state of civil war.

“Julius Caesar” makes its appearance at the Courtyard Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon from Wednesday 28th July 2010 until Saturday 4th September 2010.