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Article: Four left feet; New theatre.(Julius Caesar)(Theater Review)
- Article from:
- The Economist (US)
- Article date:
- May 7, 2005
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2005 Economist Newspaper Ltd. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Fiennes, but not fine
"Julius Caesar" trips up on Broadway and at the Barbican
WHAT is it about "Julius Caesar" that makes it a play for today? Perhaps Shakespeare's portrait of political treachery and silken tongues tallies with a time in which heroism has given way to scepticism as the lingua franca of the age. Or maybe it is simply that a play about politicians and the people is bound to speak more directly to a modern audience than, say, an ageing magician marooned on an island ("The Tempest") or four lovers displaced to a forest teeming with potions, fairies and a sprite called Puck ("A Midsummer Night's Dream").
The point is that "Julius ...