The players of the Jacobethan Theatre Workshop remained flexible and adaptive last week as the Woodside Fire forced the usually-outdoor troupe indoors. Scheduled to perform in the meadow adjacent to the parking lot at 6th Street Playhouse, they had to relocate to 6th Street’s Monroe Stage due to the low air quality.
Despite the change of space, the cast was high energy and very much into the stab-happy tale of Julius Caesar, William Shakespesare’s violent take on the downfall of the famed ruler. The tragedy moves from Santa Rosa to Sonoma and then Petaluma over the next two weekends through Aug. 16.
The story of Julius Caesar (solid David Noll) is well known and contains some of the more iconic monologues and one-liners (“Friends, Romans, Countrymen…”) that have diffused into modern English parlay just as smoothly as any of Shakespeare’s turns of phrase, and the ensemble handles them pretty well. Notable work is by Katherine Mazer as Portia and Lydia Revelos, making some strong choices with hysteria as the oft underplayed Calpurnia. Both Mazer and Revelos give energy and commitment to their small scenes.
Lukas Raphael (Mark Antony) attacks his “Let loose the dogs of war” speech with righteous anger and intensity, while Amanda Vitiello, playing a female Cassius, imbues her “Colossus” monologue with a heartfelt conviction that belies the subtle but powerful relationship between her and loyal, steady Brutus (Jesse Jensen, with a clear command of Shakespeare’s language and meaning).
The relationship between Cassius and Brutus reveals itself to be the heart of the story as Vitiello and Jensen play it, and this grounds the tale in a nice shade of gray humanity. We’re left to decide whether their actions are justified and if the repercussions of said actions were worth it in the end.
A lot of the humbly produced, bare-bones (this may be the only free theater that Sonoma County has to offer regularly) but proudly presented production worked for this reviewer, though there was a sad lack of gore that I usually relish from Shakespeare’s darker works. The violence is so prevalent in Caesar that it seems like a missed opportunity to not really revel in it. Stylistic choices were made instead, which will undoubtedly work for many audience members.
It’s a pleasure to recommend this production to those who want to support hard-working actors and their craft.
Jacobethan Theatre Workshop presents ‘Caesar’ on Aug. 8 and 9 at the Sonoma Community Center, 276 E. Napa St., Sonoma, and on Aug. 14–16 at Life on Art, 133 Copeland St., Petaluma. Fri. and Sat., 7:30pm; Sun., 3pm. Free. Reservations encouraged. jacobethan.org.
