History's unwavering hold on the present

How can there be anything new to say about a more than 400-year-old Shakespeare play?

Julius Caesar was written and first performed in 1599 – its themes of power, governance, and revolt drawing parallels to that of England's political unrest at the time. Now, 426 years later, Julius Caesar continues to hold up a mirror to global politics, allowing for resurgences of the story in light of changing contemporary climates.

In a South African production from Abrahamse and Meyer Productions, the Shakespearean tragedy of the conspiracies leading up to Julius Caesar's assassination is reimagined across three distinct time periods and geographies: 16th-century England, ancient Rome, and the present day. The show, taking place at Cape Town's Artscape Theatre, brings to the forefront a fluidity of time and gender, revealing the universal persistence of national and political uncertainties.

Upon stepping into the intimate theatre, five men sit around a reflective opening in the stage – a Roman bath. Sharp lighting casts shadows across their faces as their bodies are wrapped in blue-glowing steam, rhythmic water droplets echoing in the background. A sense of impending danger is already in the air.

The limited stage space and cast of only six actors playing nearly twenty characters between them is a testament not only to the creativity that arises from working within constraints but also to the weight each element of theatre-making holds in telling a story. For instance, the construction of a Roman bathhouse through light, sound, and costume is used to convey a multitude of meanings. It's a space of vulnerability and equality, where men of all ranks commune, while also being a tranquil place of rejuvenation that eventually mutates into a site of violence: a literal bloodbath.

Through minimal yet thoughtful costume design and makeup, the play seamlessly transitions between eras. Golden paint across the actors' faces takes the audience from England to ancient Rome, where female characters are played by male actors wearing sheer black cloaks and gold masks reminiscent of Roman sculptures. The uncanniness of the masked faces evokes an unsettling feeling, complemented by the performers' meticulous embodiments of the eras. In the ancient Roman setting, characters hold themselves with a stoic, statuesque quality, which shifts into more loose, natural movements in the present-day context.

Despite its final scenes being an illustration of modern warfare, Abrahamse and Meyer's recontextualisation of Julius Caesar is not explicitly steeped in a South African context. However, it still makes a noteworthy contribution to the ongoing relevance of Julius Caesar in the country.

"Cowards die many times before their deaths: / The valiant never taste death but once. / Of all the wonders that I yet have heard, / It seems to me most strange that men should fear, / Seeing that death, a necessary end, / Will come when it will come." – Julius Caesar

In 1977, Nelson Mandela signed his name alongside this verse from Julius Caesar in a book that's now referred to as the Robben Island Shakespeare.

This book was The Complete Works of Shakespeare and was brought into the prison, disguised as a Hindu religious text, by another political prisoner named Sonny Venkatrathnam. The book was passed around the prison discreetly with the encouragement for each person to sign their name next to a favourite passage.

Mandela's choice was, needless to say, an indicative one in the context of South Africa's apartheid era.

Now, nearly fifty years later, South Africa finds itself in the midst of shaping itself as a democratic nation, pushing towards a promising future while still acknowledging and feeling the reality of a country marked by segregation. Carrying Julius Caesar's themes of tyranny, the power of language, and the overthrowing of political forces across three centuries, Abrahamse and Meyers' 2025 production serves as a reminder of the cyclical nature of human history and what it is for a nation to build itself in the face of uncertain fates.