Julius Caesar reviews- Page 2
Julius Caesar reviews
can it become an event, still, even though it's SRO#25
Posted: 4/3/05 at 9:37pmI get it now, I didn't at first.
can it become an event, still, even though it's SRO#26
Posted: 4/3/05 at 9:39pmi don't. i'm completely with munk on this. shakespeare is shakespeare. there is no reinvention. resetting, yes. reworking, yes. groundbreaking perspectives. those ended with the feminist version of shrew and the reverse othello. if someone can find a new thrilling take i'm excited for it. but i won't be holding my breath.
can it become an event, still, even though it's SRO#27
Posted: 4/3/05 at 9:45pm
Eh. She just worded it ambiguously.
The opposite of creation isn't war, it's stagnation.
Broadway Legend Joined: 7/10/04
can it become an event, still, even though it's SRO#30
Posted: 4/3/05 at 10:14pmThat's AP, not Newsday. :)
Broadway Legend Joined: 7/10/04
can it become an event, still, even though it's SRO#31
Posted: 4/3/05 at 10:16pm
"That's AP, not Newsday. :)"
Oops! Right you are. Sorry
can it become an event, still, even though it's SRO#34
Posted: 4/3/05 at 10:56pm
Theatermania....
OUCH!
http://www.theatermania.com/content/news.cfm/story/5861
Updated On: 4/3/05 at 10:56 PM
Understudy Joined: 3/31/05
can it become an event, still, even though it's SRO#35
Posted: 4/3/05 at 11:56pm
AAAAhhhhhhh! Can anyone possibly be serious about comparing Colin Powell (hardly) and especially Condi Rice (not even remotely) to Brutus?!? Please, if you buy that for a minute, go see Julius Caesar, or better yet--read it. Powell might have been a Brutus (if only!) but for his performance at the UN on WMDs...anyone remember? If there was anything great about this production of JC, it was the rendering of the conspirators' motivations and the after-the-fact mourning/deification of the late-hated Caesar.
Shakespeare is wonderful, sometimes especially so when brought into modern contexts (political and otherwise)...but you have to be able to grasp the language, characterizations, and significance of action before you can make Condi Rice into a Brutus, let alone act a successful Brutus yourself.
can it become an event, still, even though it's SRO#36
Posted: 4/3/05 at 11:59pmi think they were referring to a potential hope that powell/rice could turn into brutus figures. and there are a lot of people hoping that. part of the reason powell left the administration.
Understudy Joined: 3/31/05
can it become an event, still, even though it's SRO#37
Posted: 4/4/05 at 12:09am
And, given that--plus Condi's promotion to Powell's former position--you hold out hope?
Did Brutus resign or take a promotion under Caesar?...Maybe you saw a different show than I did.
can it become an event, still, even though it's SRO#38
Posted: 4/4/05 at 12:15ami think denzel's reference is for hope for the coming years. i don't think it has anything to do what has happened. in my opinion, he is stating hope that condi and colin use their positions for the betterment of the country. i'm not saying i agree.
Broadway Star Joined: 11/22/04
can it become an event, still, even though it's SRO#39
Posted: 4/4/05 at 12:19am
Brantley's full review isn't up but here's the "summary" -- it sounds like it will be similar to the others -- appreciative -- OK -- lukewarm about Denzel -- certainly not a rave.
As Brutus, the most important passenger on Daniel Sullivan's fast, bumpy ride of a production, Denzel Washington does not embarrass himself, as leading citizens of Hollywood have been known to do on Broadway. But even brilliantined in the glow of his inescapable fame, he can't help getting lost amid the wandering, mismatched crowd and the heavy topical artillery that have been assembled here. In several shining sequences, Mr. Washington more than justifies his presence in this production, although it's telling that such moments usually occur during monologues, which require little or no interaction with others. But in the moment-to-moment dialogue and action that are the bulk of the play, this Brutus seems plagued less by moral and philosophical uncertainty than by actorly insecurity. Mr. Washington's voice becomes rushed and soft, sometimes to the point of inaudibility. And even when other characters are looking to the mighty Brutus for guidance amid chaos, Mr. Washington looks more apologetic than anything else. Under the circumstances, it's hard to blame him. Mr. Sullivan has populated his "Julius Caesar" with performers who seem to have arrived from different planets in the great galaxy of show business. The overall effect is bewildering in the style of a free-for-all concert in which opera, jazz, light rock and musical comedy are performed simultaneously. This means that the points of connection among the characters, essential to creating an emotionally stirring "Julius Caesar," are mostly nonexistent. — BEN BRANTLEY
can it become an event, still, even though it's SRO#40
Posted: 4/4/05 at 12:33am
Does the fact that the tabloids can't seem to extend their paragraphs beyond two sentences drive anyone else crazy? Anyone?
Daily News
Updated On: 4/4/05 at 12:33 AM
can it become an event, still, even though it's SRO#41
Posted: 4/4/05 at 12:34amhaha. plum, i was thinking the exact same thing.
Understudy Joined: 3/31/05
can it become an event, still, even though it's SRO#42
Posted: 4/4/05 at 12:40am
<[Washington] is stating hope that condi and colin use their positions for the betterment of the country.>
#1. Colin Powell gave up his position, and #2. Whoever holds out hope for Rice using her position for the betterment of the country rather than her own self-advancement also believes in Santa Claus.
But I digress... The Brantley review seems spot on when he describes Washington as, "more apologetic than anything else."
I suggest you see the play before spending too much time on defending your positions on this particular production one way or another.
can it become an event, still, even though it's SRO#43
Posted: 4/4/05 at 1:02ami wasn't arguing. i was just trying to articulate the points denzel made in an interview about the setting and characterizations of the play. obviously i'm not doing a good job and can't help you understand the point. i'm sorry.
Understudy Joined: 3/31/05
can it become an event, still, even though it's SRO#44
Posted: 4/4/05 at 1:11am
I've read the interview, and even the interviewer changed the subject after the poorly articulated and ill-conceived statements by Denzel.
Obviously you can't grasp the point if you haven't seen the production.
can it become an event, still, even though it's SRO#45
Posted: 4/4/05 at 1:22am
Thanks Priest! At least someone understood what I was saying. I just haven't been able to word things the right way today. I was away from my computer since then, sorry I couldn't clear things up - though I bet I would have confused things even further.
Apdarcey, in my first post I was actually on the same page with you and Munk. I thought I was clear, I guess I wasn't. I like bringing new things (sets, costumes, lighting) to Shakespeare and my first comment was that I agreed with Munk, also that I thought bringing it to present day was a good and feasible idea.
I apologize to bring it back up, since the conversation has cleary moved past it, I just hate leaving things misunderstood.
can it become an event, still, even though it's SRO#46
Posted: 4/4/05 at 1:25amhaha. it's fine tgif. i'm in a fight with dummy at the moment.
can it become an event, still, even though it's SRO#47
Posted: 4/4/05 at 1:30am
Oh good! *ducks out* Just wanted to clear the air. Didn't know what your "ugh" meant in a previous post. I don't like fighting on here (unless I am really bored 
).
Broadway Star Joined: 11/22/04
can it become an event, still, even though it's SRO#48
Posted: 4/4/05 at 1:32amBrantley's full review is up...he seems rather mixed and unsure across the boards...
Understudy Joined: 3/31/05
can it become an event, still, even though it's SRO#49
Posted: 4/4/05 at 2:01amNot that everyone doesn't have his/her own opinion on Shakespeare (and is sometimes entitled to it); I just think it would be great if people who comment on plays would actually go see them.
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