Bell Shakespeare’s production of Julius Caesar opens their 2026 season and does not disappoint, drenching the Sydney Opera House in tales of treachery, power grabs and soaking the stage in blood.
One of Shakespeare’s most performed plays, with its central murder of Julius Caesar as he is about to declare himself supreme ruler once more, its text about a ruler crowning himself supreme leader and its consequences that has resonated through history and finds numerous parallels in our current times.
Loosely based on Plutarch’s biographical Parallel Lives, the play was originally titled The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, and while Caesar’s murder is the trigger for the action, the play belongs more to the characters of Brutus, Casca, Cassius and Mark Anthony and their own tragedies.
In this version, director Peter Evan’s has set the play in an unnamed Eastern European country in the 1990s, and follows the action across three years from the assassination.
Caesar (Septimus Caton) has just returned triumphant from the Pompey wars and is about to be crowned again. Brutus (Brigid Zengeni), played as a woman, fears for the Republic if that happens, and sets out to convince Cassius (Leon Ford) and others to join conspiracy to kill Caesar.
Despite a soothsayer (Jules Billington) warning to beware the “Ides of March”, Caesar is determined to go ahead with the crowning, while Brutus’ wife Portia (Billington) wants to know what is going on, but is shut out by her husband.
On the morning of the Senate, ignoring the warnings of his wife Calphurnia (Ava Madon), Caesar is persuaded to attend by Decius (James Lugton), another conspirator. After the bloody and treacherous deed, Brutus gives a speech to the crowd at Caesar’s funeral.
Initially well received, it is soon forgotten when Caesar’s friend Mark Antony (Mark Leonard Winter) takes the stand, firing up the crowd to rebel. Two years on, Antony is at war with Brutus and Cassius, who despite their violent differences, march on Antony and his ally Octavius Caesar.
Misinformation from the battlefield cause Cassius and Brutus to die separately by suicide, with the victorious Antony praising Brutus.
As director, Evans keeps the play tight and in motion, despite long soliloquies or monologues from Brutus, Cassius and Antony, which give Julius Caesar its internal conflict, psychological depth and sympathy.
Evan’s also doubles dips as set designer and here he is inventive and economical, with a single set utilising prop changes across multiple locations and times to great effect.
Even though Leon Ford is the media face of this production, his character of Cassius does not command the attention of Brutus or Antony, though he excels whenever he takes centre stage.
As Brutus, Zengeni is thoroughly believable playing the role as a woman and none more so in her doomed speech to the plebs and her efforts to command the battlefield towards the end.
The character of Julius Caesar does not occupy the stage for long, but when he does, Caton makes the most of it by inhabiting his character with imperious and regal importance.
Leonard Winter’s character of Antony hinges on the delivery of his speech to the mob, which is delivered with spellbinding force and eloquence, even as he apologises for not be much of a public speaker.
Peter Carroll’s Casca is a sharp-tongued turn coat who is the first to stab Caesar, while reporting omens such as fire in the sky and lions in the street as signs of dangers to Rome. His moments on stage are always to be appreciated by the audience.
As Caesar’s third wife, Calphurnia, Madon presents a character of some intelligence, while Ruby Maishman gives us complex reading of her role. Metellus (Ray Chong Nee) and Decius (James Lugton) are minor characters, both actors give it their all, providing support in their respective roles.
Costume director Simone Romaniuk has gone all white in this, providing a stark contract with the blood being spilled around the play’s mid-point, while sound designer Madeleine Picard and lighting designer Amelia Lever-Davidson provide us with some startling moments.
While the transposition of the settings for Julius Caesar have a long history, placing this production nearer our time is all the more pertinent with current events, which seem to parallel the play all too closely.
Julius Caesar
Playhouse – Sydney Opera House, Bennelong Point, Sydney
Performance: Wednesday 11 March 2026
Season continues to 5 April 2026 Bookings: www.sydneyoperahouse.com
Following the Sydney season, Julius Caesar will play the Playhouse – Canberra Theatre Centre from 10 April, and the Fairfax Studio – Arts Centre Melbourne from 23 April 2026. For more information, visit: www.bellshakespeare.com.au for details.
Images: Ray Chong Nee, Brigid Zengeni, Ava Madon and Septimus Caton in Julius Caesar – photo by Brett Boardman | Brigid Zengeni Ava Madon and Septimus Caton in Julius Caesar – photo by Brett Boardman | Mark Leonard Winter in Julius Caesar – photo by Brett Boardman | Leon Ford, Brigid Zengeni and Peter Carroll in Julius Caesar – photo by Brett Boardman
Review: John Moyle