Ep. 23: Nicholas Hytner’s Julius Caesar starring Ben Whishaw

In this episode, we discuss the Bridge Theatre’s 2018 production of Julius Caesar, which was broadcast to cinemas worldwide via NTLive. The production was directed by Nicholas Hytner and stars Ben Whishaw as Brutus.

In this episode, we discuss the Bridge Theatre’s 2018 production of Julius Caesar, which was broadcast to cinemas worldwide via NTLive. The production was directed by Nicholas Hytner and stars Ben Whishaw as Brutus, David Morrissey as Mark Antony, Michelle Fairley as Caius Cassius, and Adjoa Andoh as Casca. The production was performed in the round, with a constantly shifting stage, and a standing audience in the stalls who also helped served as the Roman mob. We discuss the modern interpretation of the text, its gender-swapped casting (Casca, Cassius, and several others are now women), the way the production works as immersive theatre (and its limits), and more.

Episode Notes

You can watch the trailer for the production here.

Watch a behind-the-scenes look at the production here.

Director Nicholas Hytner introduces the production here.

Check out the Bridge Theatre’s playlist of interviews about the production on YouTube here.

We discuss the Harriet Walter/Phyllida Lloyd Donmar production of Julius Caesar, which you can find out more about here, as well as the Schaubühne production of Richard III directed by Thomas Ostermeier and starring Lars Eidinger, which Alex Heeney reviewed at Seventh Row.

Credits