Julius Caesar

Julius Caesar. We’ve all seen it. We all know the plot and it’s been ingrained into our brains since birth. We all know Caesar dies and we all know who did it. But the play I went to on Thursday night was different. It did not follow the same predictable mold that all of the previous Julius Caesar plays that I have witnessed followed. It created a mold of its own. I came into the play tired from not even having been home from school yet, hungry because I hadn’t eaten anything since lunch, and bored already because I knew what was going to happen-or at least what I thought was going to happen. The cast was different from most school plays because it contained students from many different schools, some of one I knew from middle school and church. The girl who played Cassius I thought stood above the rest. But what made this play stand out from the rest so much was the way it was relatable to everyday life today. The language, the costumes, the setting, the props all added to the effect. The language use was intriguing and kept the audience’s attention. This method was extremely effective when the audience consists of many high school students, seeing as though it is a high school play. While preparing to fall asleep to “Thou” and “Art”, texting lingo quickly caught my attention and kept my eyes from closing. The news clips were also a very effective idea and were able to capture the audience more than a narrator, who probably would have just caused everyone to zone out. Having both Shakespearean language and modern day language helps the audience understand the Shakespearean language more and not be confused by it and automatically zone out because they are not understanding what it going on.

Another interesting aspect of the play was how the audience was on the stage with the actors in between them. It helped the audience feel like they were a part of the action and kept their attention. Especially me because I was right where everyone kept running through, and at one point this girl yelled “Beware the Ides of March” right in my ear. If that doesn’t keep you awake I don’t know what will. In the end something I was just going to see because I needed my extra credit-no offense Mr. Glenn- turned out capturing my attention so much that I would have gone to see it again if I actually had money in my pocket. It kept me focused and anticipating what was to come next. There was only one point at which I didn’t understand what was going on really and that was in the beginning when there was only music and people doing weird things, but oh well it kept my attention, I just didn’t really know why they were doing those things. Other than that the play was extremely well done, thumbs up for creativity, and I hope to see more like it in the future of Johns Creek.