Julius Caesar at Oregon Shakespeare Festival
The current production of Julius Caesar at The Oregon Shakespeare Festival doesn’t exactly mirror the current political reality in the United States, but there are rhymes. The populist Julius Caesar flirts with authoritarianism, but unlike Republicans in our congress who refuse to stand up to the authoritarian in the White House, the senators of Rome, led by Marcus Brutus and Cassius, take a principled if excessively violent stand to protect their republic. Ultimately, though, Mark Antony, Octavius, and Lepidus fight a civil war, essentially ending the Roman Republic and establish an authoritarian Roman Empire that will persist for centuries.
The OSF production was staged with an all-female cast. Director Rosa Joshi focuses on Shakespeare’s language, placing actors on a simple clean-lined set. Despite my skepticism about an all female cast for such a potentially brutal play, I was pleasantly surprised by the effectiveness and clarity of the production. I recall seeing Caesar at OSF in 2017 and I much prefer this production, possibly because of the female cast. Standouts in the company were Jessika D. Williams as Mark Antony and Antoinette Robinson as Brutus. (Kate Hurster, the regular Brutus was out for this performance and Robinson, who normally plays Trebonius stepped in for her. A good friend of mine, Julie Oda, stepped into the role of Trebonius and did a great job.) Frankly, the entire cast was strong — it’s always so refreshing to see Shakespeare at OSF, where actors are clearly cast for their ability to handle the language.
We’ve thoroughly enjoyed everything we’ve seen at OSF this season. August Wilson’s Jitney may be one of the best shows I’ve seen there in the past few years. Two of my favorite OSF actors, Kevin Kennerly and Tyrone Wilson are in especially fine form in the show. You can’t go wrong with anything on the calendar at OSF this season.
Posted 17 July 2025 by Mark ·
