Julius Caesar (Tour - Newcastle)

Director Gregory Doran has reset Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar in Africa and combined with the setting by Designer Michael Vale, it works extremely well. The play moves at a steady pace and you could not help but think of people like Idi Amin and Robert Mugabe as the action on stage unfolded. Also how much this play meant to Nelson Mandela during his imprisonment.

Admittedly at times I did find it hard to capture every line due to the accents, but every cast member fully pulls their weight. As we have virtually every top black actor in the Country on stage in this production the talent on stage is extraordinary.

But while Ray Fearon provides us with an extremely charismatic Mark Antony, it is Paterson Joseph as Brutus who makes you hang on his every word and movement.

The on stage band, which welcomes you in to the auditorium, certainly captures your imagination and transports you to Africa even before a word is spoken.

While the thought of Julius Caesar set in Africa does seem bizarre, it proves the RSC are still adventurous and know how to capture a new audience for Shakespeare.

- by John Dixon