Modern ‘Caesar’ honors a classic

Daniel Sullivan’s powerful staging of “Julius Caesar” at the Old Globe’s outdoor amphitheater is set near the end of the 21st century.

The world has been “destroyed by religious wars and economic collapse,” Sullivan’s program note says. “A series of nation states riven by civil war and internecine tribal fighting covers the globe.” Prewar Iraq, Chechnya and Bosnia-Herzegovina are models, he writes.

These comparisons don’t quite ring true. Shakespeare’s Rome is more analogous to the contemporary United States than to Chechnya or Bosnia. At least part of the play’s grim majesty arises from the spectacle of seeing the world’s overweening center of power thrown into chaos by petty human squabbles. If Rome is already on the level of Chechnya, the fall isn’t quite as dramatic.

Sullivan is nevertheless drawn to these dystopic visions of the contexts of Shakespeare’s tragedies -- as seen in his 1998 “Romeo and Juliet” in the same space. In this “Julius Caesar,” Ralph Funicello’s set shows a Rome that’s already in ruins before the play begins. A security checkpoint is in place at the Senate, but the fence that surrounds it can be easily penetrated. Dan Moses Schreier’s pre-play music is from nasal bagpipes of the sort that you might expect to hear in a rural kingdom (“Macbeth,” perhaps?).

Of course, the struggles within a nation that’s not at the pinnacle of world domination can still hold our interest (again, for example, “Macbeth”). Sullivan’s concept doesn’t necessarily distract us from his accomplishment. Shakespeare’s words are so cleanly and bluntly spoken that all the little nuances of the byzantine plot seem especially lucid.

As usual, Cassius is the more interesting of the two chief conspirators. Joel Polis takes Cassius beyond the customary furtive glances to suggest a committed radical. When the thunder rages as the conspirators gather at Brutus’ house, and everyone else cowers from the elements, Polis’ Cassius is almost gleeful. His shirt open to the storm, befitting his selfdescription, he exults that it’s “a very pleasing night.” Robert Foxworth’s Brutus has the solid, handsome, middle-age look that people often seek in a leader. Sullivan’s blocking of the assassination of Caesar puts the “et tu, Brute?” line front and center, almost in slow motion, so that the moment when Caesar’s life ends and Brutus’ is transformed is made crystal clear.

Of the other plotters, Dakin Matthews shines as an especially acerbic and amusing Casca. Robin Gammell’s Caesar has a peevish, irascible air.

Michael James Reed’s Mark Antony moves from casual nonchalance -- he takes a smoke in the first scene and later takes a nibble off Caesar’s breakfast tray -- to a studied fury. In his speech to the masses, he suddenly hurls the standing microphone -- which Brutus had just used -- across the stage in a gesture designed to demonstrate how much closer he is to the people. His effortless masculinity is Russell Crowe-like.

The people’s reactions to his speech are especially brutal. The mob murders a young woman before going after Jonathan McMurtry’s frail Cinna the Poet, while the reflection of orange flames and smoke fill the stage.

Like the concurrent “Julius Caesar” in Thousand Oaks, however, this one makes the mistake of importing plenty of firearms into the second act and yet still suggesting that suicide can be committed only with the aid of a colleague holding a knife.

Lewis Brown’s costumes also send confusing signals. The conspirators initially wear casual jackets and polo shirts, yet Calpurnia (Kandis Chappell) is decked out like a woman from 1900, not 2100.

Despite touches of conceptual confusion, however, this “Julius Caesar” honors the heart of the play with consummate skill.

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‘Julius Caesar’

Where: Lowell Davies Festival Theatre, the Old Globe, Balboa Park, San Diego

When: Tuesdays-Sundays, 8 p.m.

Ends: Aug. 10

Price: $19-$50

Contact: (619) 239-2255

Running Time: 2 hours, 35 minutes

Robert Foxworth...Marcus Brutus

Joel Polis...Caius Cassius

Robin Gammell...Julius Caesar

Michael James Reed...Mark Antony

Dakin Matthews...Casca

Kandis Chappell...Calpurnia

Caitlin O’Connell...Portia

Jonathan McMurtry...Flavius/Caius Ligarius/Cinna the Poet/Lucilius

David Purdham...Marullus/Decius Brutus/Lepidus/Titanius

Andrew McGinn...Cobbler/Popilius Lena/Octavius Caesar

James Waterston...Cobbler/Lucius

Tom Ramirez...Cicero/Metellus Cimber/Volumnius

Liam Craig...Cinna/Messala

By William Shakespeare. Directed by Daniel Sullivan. Sets by Ralph Funicello. Costumes by Lewis Brown. Lighting by Mimi Jordan Sherin. Music and sound by Dan Moses Schreier. Stage manager Peter Van Dyke