Julius Caesar

Synopsis

The die is cast once Pompey's corpse sprawls headless in the sand and Julius Caesar straddles the earth like a colossus, the unrivalled ruler of the Roman world. Will he really risk losing all for love of Cleopatra, the seductive Egyptian queen?

Our Review:

2 October 2012

Directions. Take one dead giraffe. Place carefully onto work surface. Sever head. Remove tongue. Serve with a garnish of eviscerated crocodile. Mwah!

In Michael Keegan-Dolan’s new production for English National Opera of Handel’s greatest stage work, Julius Caesar, a variety of near-realistic animal remains share a bizarre chipboard world with stetson-wearing Romans, critters with condoms on their heads and black dancing birds whose feathers flutter to the vibrato in Cleopatra’s voice.

A great deal of thought has gone into it, and to dismiss its ideas out of hand would be to patronise it; but having spent the best part of four hours in its company that is a risk that cuts both ways. The Egyptian Queen slices open a dead croc to remove its eggs, only for her nihilistic brother Ptolemy to bat them away with a croquet mallet. Whatever the image means (and the word ‘crocodile’ means ‘lizard of the Nile’, so we may guess), it is...

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Latest User Review

Susan - 11 October 2012:

Terrible. The production is like a nightmare on Sesame street. It's so juvenile. About as shocking as being attacked by a toothless Chihuahua. Beautiful playing and singing but at ENO's prices just not worth it. Not helped by a more than half-empty Coliseum with all the atmosphere of a funeral home....

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