Julius Caesar -- Is this about the quietest opening ever on Broadway for a two time Academy Award winner?

[VinnieTheIceman]

Posted: 4/3/05 at 5:14pm

There is barely any chatter on this show. I guess we'll see soon enough what the critics think, but wouldn't you expect a lot more buzz? It is Denzel Washington.

[munkustrap178]

Posted: 4/3/05 at 5:18pm

There is definitely a buzz off of BWW. THere's not much talk about it on here because it doesn't feature anyone belting at the end of every song, and, most people on here have never heard of "plays."

Updated On: 4/3/05 at 05:18 PM

[Type_A_Tiff]

Posted: 4/3/05 at 5:21pm

I thought he won one Best Supporting and one Best Lead? I could be wrong though - maybe it was just a nomination for Glory?

What's a 'play'? Is that like Rent if it were spoken?

I also was surprised at how little buzz there is. I don't think the movie mags have pounced on this yet, have they?

[munkustrap178]

Posted: 4/3/05 at 5:23pm

No your right - twice. I forgot about GLORY.

Yes, it's like RENT without songs, I think. Like, WICKED with no music, get it?

It's Shakespeare - most people pay ZERO attention to that because they automatically thing Shakespeare = boring. Especially with people not into theatre.

[melissa errico fan]

Posted: 4/3/05 at 5:24pm

If you call a run that is playing to 100% capacity every night quiet...

[munkustrap178]

Posted: 4/3/05 at 5:27pm

But the buzz surrounding shows like DRS and SPAMALOT was far greater than JC. I haven't heard ANYTHING about JC, positive or negative. I don't even know anyone that's seen it, so I would say that's quiet.

[melissa errico fan]

Posted: 4/3/05 at 5:31pm

I agree with your initial post about people seeing Shakespeare and immediately thinking boring. These are obviously the people who have never seen a Shakespeare play in their lives. It's sad.

[Type_A_Tiff]

Posted: 4/3/05 at 5:32pm

Don't you get lippy with me, MEFfie.

I second what munku said. On the bww.com main page, none of the top 5 articles OR the News Desk items have anything to do with Caesar. And broadway.com doesn't have anything on its front page either.

[BlueWizard]

Posted: 4/3/05 at 5:34pm

I wouldn't be too worried about it. There wasn't much discussion on 700 SUNDAYS either. Maybe we all just can't get tickets.

Like, WICKED with no music, get it?

That might actually be an improvement.

[chasgoose]

Posted: 4/3/05 at 5:35pm

I saw this two weeks ago in previews and I loved it (I have to admit that Julius Caesar has always been one of my favorite Shakespeare plays). Denzel was great as usual (although it seemed as though it took him awhile to get comfortable), but my favorites were the two people who played Cassius and Casca. Casca stole just about every scene he was in. The wives and Marc Antony needed a little work (the actor who played Marc Antony must have had a cold or something because his voice was very raspy, it was like a Vin Diesel thing going on), but I am sure they fixed it in the previews. The set design was incredible, as it seems to spread out into the Belasco Theatre itself (at various points actors watch scenes from mezzanine boxes and enter stage from them). This design pays off particularly well in the Caesar's funeral scene which serves as a turning point of sorts for the play. I highly reccomend it, if not for anything else than for how many times do you get to see Julius Caesar performed this well (I think the last time it was on Broadway was over 50 years ago). Denzel is definitely a draw, but the production and the play itself are reason enough to go.

Btw, haha to munkustrap on pointing out the lack of attention to plays. Updated On: 4/3/05 at 05:35 PM

[Type_A_Tiff]

Posted: 4/3/05 at 5:38pm

Oh, snap, BW!

Thanks for the review, chasgoose. Just curious if you have any idea what the seating capacity for the theatre is. Has it officially opened yet?

[munkustrap178]

Posted: 4/3/05 at 5:39pm

It opens tonight. The capacity is around 1200 I think.

[Plum]

Posted: 4/3/05 at 5:40pm

Yeah, it's true that plays don't get as much attention as musicals here, but productions like Twelve Angry Men, The Glass Menagerie, and Doubt have gotten more chatter devoted to them than Julius Ceasar. I found it a bit weird myself.

[munkustrap178]

Posted: 4/3/05 at 5:41pm

Ignore me "1200" guess - that's probably WAY too much.

[CJR]

Posted: 4/3/05 at 5:42pm

There's plenty of talk about JC on my end.... but it's more the fact that I <3 Denzel and quite frankly couldnt give a rat's patootie about the show itself

[melissa errico fan]

Posted: 4/3/05 at 5:46pm

I'm curious to see how my girlfriend Jessica Hecht is as Portia. (BTW, don't tell the missus that JH is my girlfriend! )

[chasgoose]

Posted: 4/3/05 at 6:24pm

As I said earlier, the wives were sort of odd. I found their intonation unnatural and awkward, and overly melodramatic. Jessica Hecht as Brutus's wife, was the worst of the two (granted she had more stage time so I noticed her more). In the two weeks since I saw it, however, they both could have improved tremendously.

Also, a warning to anyone who goes to see Julius Caesar. Get to the theatre as close to curtain time as you tolerate. There is this annoying incidental music playing in the house that is reminiscent of some third-world dictatorship's national anthem. I made the mistake of getting there when the doors open and while at first it does a great job of setting the mood, after 10 minutes you want to jam your Playbill in your eardrums and never hear again.

[ghostlight2]

Posted: 4/3/05 at 6:34pm

Capacity @ the Belasco is 1,029 - plus or minus a few. And, yes, it opens tonight.

eta : Playbill.com says 997 - also says it hasn't been selling out, which is difficult to believe. Updated On: 4/3/05 at 06:34 PM

[munkustrap178]

Posted: 4/3/05 at 6:35pm

Oh, I just looked it up and it was around 975, def. not over 1000.....

[InfiniteTheaterFrenzy]

Posted: 4/3/05 at 6:40pm

I was SO excited to see Julius Caesar. It's one of my favorite Shakespeare plays, and one of the few that I haven't seen. The cast was also quite exciting... However, I went to the box office to ask if they'd have student rush, and not only are they not having it, but the people at the box office laughed at me and were very rude. Of course, this is not a reason not to see the show. But I was a bit discouraged. I went back a week or so later to ask about the standing room policy (which I read about on talkinbroadway.com but wanted to double check) and they were even MORE rude to me this time, saying they didn't know what I was talking about.
Not only do I have no urge to go back now, I really can't afford to go unless its student rush prices...
Sorry for sharing such a rant.

[Auggie27]

Posted: 4/3/05 at 7:38pm

Your rant is justified. We need to get younger audiences in the theater, and if a major star takes on Shakespeare, lets bring in the teens. Please.

[munkustrap178]

Posted: 4/3/05 at 7:48pm

So they don't sell SRO?

[Joshua488]

Posted: 4/3/05 at 7:54pm

"There is definitely a buzz off of BWW. THere's not much talk about it on here because it doesn't feature anyone belting at the end of every song, and, most people on here have never heard of 'plays.'"

Amen, munkustrap178. It's a shame how people don't pay attention to PLAYS. Plays are the core of theatre; musicals ARE plays... they just have songs in them. It's a shame how so many "theatre people" shun straight plays, rather than take interest to them. *sigh*

[Chloe]

Posted: 4/3/05 at 8:22pm

I love Shakespeare, but have always had an aversion to Julius Caesar, possibly because it was the play we "did" in high school. Those kind of associations are hard to overcome. I saw the most recent Shakespeare in the Park version, which wasn't bad, but didn't really erase my old negative feelings.

[InfiniteTheaterFrenzy]

Posted: 4/3/05 at 8:31pm

Munk- I think they do have SRO, but will only sell it to you if the show is completely sold out AND if they so choose for that day... and apparently if you're not under 25? I don't know, don't go by me... I'm bitter about this one...