By Lalit Gupta
JAMMU, Dec 3: One of the rare presentations based on William Shakespeare’s plays in the winter capital, Julius Caesar, the great tragedy themed plays by the Bard of Avon, was performed by art and culture group ‘The Performers’ and ‘The Fourth Wall’, at the Police Auditorium, here today.
The Hindi translation of Julius Caesar by Ashok Grover and R L Tulli and directed by Vijay oswami was an ambitious but successful venture that very well reflected upon the mature standards of modern theatre practice in Jammu.
William Shakespeare’s play Julius Caesar, which has enjoyed immense popularity since 17th century, is based upon the history of Rome especially the events around 44 BC. Julius Caesar is a highly ambitious political leader in Rome and his aim is to become dictator.
Caesar is warned that he must “beware the Ides of March” . The prophecy comes true and Caesar is assassinated due to the plotting of Marcus Brutus and Cassius. The friend of Julius Caesar, Mark Antony, provides the famous funeral oration (“Friends, Romans, and countrymen…”) Brutus and Cassius meet their inevitable defeat which plunges the country into civil war.
The plot outlines the power struggle among Rome’s political leaders and events leading up to Caesar’s assassination. Shakespeare used the story of Caesar to comment on the concentration of power under the reign of Elizabeth I, Queen of England at the time the play was written and first performed.
The play explores concepts of fate and free will and the conflict the main characters experience as they juggle their private and public lives as politicians. Throughout the play, characters – including Julius Caesar – misinterpret actions, events and characters. There are many symbolic omens and warnings that are ignored. The story explores the notions of friendship, ambition, rivalry and betrayal. The play much like today’s political world of ours overtaken by media, examines the role of speech to inspire, persuade and manipulate individuals and the wider public.
Today’s production striking for the minimal use of sets and background music, authentic costumes and suitable selection of the cast for main characters like Caesar, Brutus, Mark Antony and Cassius did succeed in creating dramatic situations that have been the hallmark of the play.
The quality of today’s presentation was succinctly summed up by Vijay Bakaya, MLC , the chief guest on the occasion and who is also a trained in art of drama. While congratulating the young director/actor Vijay Goswami, he said that today’s performance for its high standards and after little knitting and compactness can be performed anywhere in the country.
The cast of the play included Manoj Bhat as Caesar, Balwinder as Brutus, Irfan Choudhary as Mark Antony, Vijay Goswami as Casca, Rohit Verma as Cassius, Rajni Bhatti as Portia, Shama Choudhary as Calpurnia, Rohitashiv as Octavius, Ashok Vinay as Decius/Strabo, Sheel Manhas as Luccilius/Cisro, Pradeep Sahrma as Soothsayer/Messala, Devinder Sharma as Cinna-2/Dordanius, Vijay Sahrma as Cinna. Those who acted as various other characters included Tarun Sharma, Akshay Kotwal, Shubhum Sharma, Sugandhi, Mukesh Bawa, Vikram Rajpal, Harkeerat and Kuldeep Mehra.
Prominent amongst the audience were Balwant Thakur, director ICCR, N K Nayak, Director, Nehru Yuva Kendra, Sohail Kazami, well known journalist and large number of theatre directors, actors and members of the civil society.
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