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New twist on Shakespeare’s ‘Caesar’ at Karamu
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Reviewed by: FRAN HELLER Contributing Writer
“This is not the story you know, but somewhere in between,” says the soothsayer in the opening moments of “Julius X,” a curious coupling of the tragedy of Julius Caesar and the assassination of Malcolm X, created by poet and hip-hop playwright Al Letson Jr. It’s at Karamu Performing Arts Theatre through Feb. 24.
The mix works well, a tribute to the universal appeal of Shakespeare’s timeless themes of power, overarching ambition and jealousy. The play’s blend of drama, poetry, music and movement creates a total theatrical experience that keeps the viewer engaged and interested throughout.
The large cast is uneven in quality. But all is forgiven under the assured direction of Justin Emeka, a writer, actor, teacher and director, and currently a visiting professor of theater and African-American studies at Oberlin College. Director/choreographer Emeka keeps the ensemble moving like clockwork.
To better understand “Julius X,” a little background about Malcolm X is in order. Born Malcolm Little, Malcolm X started life as a thief, pimp and hustler, before he saw the light and converted to Islam while serving time in prison. (The X symbolizes the rejection of “slave names” given to the blacks by their white masters and the absence of an inherited African name to take its place.)
For 12 years Malcolm X worked tirelessly for the Nation of Islam, an amalgam of Negro political and spiritual organizations, until he separated from them and the corrupting practices of the leadership (referred to but not defined in the play) and started his own mosque in 1964. Less than a year later, he was assassinated.
Malcolm X was a controversial man reviled by many as a fanatic, racist and anti-Semite. At the same time, he helped bring to the forefront the notion of black pride during the violent throes of change leading up to the civil rights movement.
The play’s setting is Harlem, where Julius X (read: Malcolm X) has just returned from a pilgrimage to Mecca.
Julius’s decision to leave the Nation sets in motion a power struggle between the two opposing factions, which results in his tragic assassination.
John Konopka’s lean set conjures images of old Harlem with its exposed brick walls, chain link fencing, urban murals, and posters advocating black supremacy. The rumble of an elevated train and the silhouetted grid of train tracks created by sound and lighting wizard Richard H. Morris Jr. make the transformation complete.
Since Julius X is really the story of Malcolm X, veteran actor Abdullah Bey seems too old for the role of a young man cut down in his prime. (Malcolm was only 39 when he was murdered.) But Bey proves he can hold his own as charismatic firebrand.
Jonathan Wray is outstanding as the chief instigator Cassius, whose oily insinuations about Julius mask his own envy and unstoppable ambition. Brutus (Jason Dixon) is torn between a desire to hold the Nation together and his love of Julius. Dixon makes the agony of Brutus’s internal conflict entirely believable.
Saidah Mitchell is fine as Julius’s wife Calpurnia, who urges her husband not to go out on the ill-fated day. Jasmine Yates is weak as Brutus’s emotionally unbalanced wife Portia. Jason Walker declaims too loudly as the volatile Marc Antony, whose peroration about Brutus as an “honorable man” lacks sufficient irony.
Like a Greek chorus, a pair of soothsayers foretells the future in song, movement and hip-hop. It’s very effective.
Harold Crawford’s costumes bridge history with the present, from the colorful African dashiki of Soothsayer He (Benjamin “Ras Solo” Simmons) to the contemporary togs of Soothsayer She (Tamika Storrs).
The play is interspersed with poetry and music, like choral speech or rap, and accompanied by movement, as in the moving spiritual “Let This Cup Pass.” The overlapping pantomime and freeze frames are extremely well-drawn.
I loved Emeka’s fluid staging, which utilizes the entire space of the theater, including the aisles. The ample use of voiceovers makes the 11-member cast feel a whole lot larger, and the segueing of scenes under Emeka’s disciplined direction is seamless.
The story of “Julius X” highlights the internecine struggle by black America after centuries of servitude and racism to forge its own identity.
The play enlightens both blacks and whites about a troubled era of history that remains relevant today.
Karamu Performing Arts Theatre is at 2355 East 89th St. 216-795-7077 or www.karamu.com.
“This is not the story you know, but somewhere in between,” says the soothsayer in the opening moments of “Julius X,” a curious coupling of the tragedy of Julius Caesar and the assassination of Malcolm X, created by poet and hip-hop playwright Al Letson Jr. It’s at Karamu Performing Arts Theatre through Feb. 24.
The mix works well, a tribute to the universal appeal of Shakespeare’s timeless themes of power, overarching ambition and jealousy. The play’s blend of drama, poetry, music and movement creates a total theatrical experience that keeps the viewer engaged and interested throughout.
The large cast is uneven in quality. But all is forgiven under the assured direction of Justin Emeka, a writer, actor, teacher and director, and currently a visiting professor of theater and African-American studies at Oberlin College. Director/choreographer Emeka keeps the ensemble moving like clockwork.
To better understand “Julius X,” a little background about Malcolm X is in order. Born Malcolm Little, Malcolm X started life as a thief, pimp and hustler, before he saw the light and converted to Islam while serving time in prison. (The X symbolizes the rejection of “slave names” given to the blacks by their white masters and the absence of an inherited African name to take its place.)
For 12 years Malcolm X worked tirelessly for the Nation of Islam, an amalgam of Negro political and spiritual organizations, until he separated from them and the corrupting practices of the leadership (referred to but not defined in the play) and started his own mosque in 1964. Less than a year later, he was assassinated.
Malcolm X was a controversial man reviled by many as a fanatic, racist and anti-Semite. At the same time, he helped bring to the forefront the notion of black pride during the violent throes of change leading up to the civil rights movement.
The play’s setting is Harlem, where Julius X (read: Malcolm X) has just returned from a pilgrimage to Mecca.
Julius’s decision to leave the Nation sets in motion a power struggle between the two opposing factions, which results in his tragic assassination.
John Konopka’s lean set conjures images of old Harlem with its exposed brick walls, chain link fencing, urban murals, and posters advocating black supremacy. The rumble of an elevated train and the silhouetted grid of train tracks created by sound and lighting wizard Richard H. Morris Jr. make the transformation complete.
Since Julius X is really the story of Malcolm X, veteran actor Abdullah Bey seems too old for the role of a young man cut down in his prime. (Malcolm was only 39 when he was murdered.) But Bey proves he can hold his own as charismatic firebrand.
Jonathan Wray is outstanding as the chief instigator Cassius, whose oily insinuations about Julius mask his own envy and unstoppable ambition. Brutus (Jason Dixon) is torn between a desire to hold the Nation together and his love of Julius. Dixon makes the agony of Brutus’s internal conflict entirely believable.
Saidah Mitchell is fine as Julius’s wife Calpurnia, who urges her husband not to go out on the ill-fated day. Jasmine Yates is weak as Brutus’s emotionally unbalanced wife Portia. Jason Walker declaims too loudly as the volatile Marc Antony, whose peroration about Brutus as an “honorable man” lacks sufficient irony.
Like a Greek chorus, a pair of soothsayers foretells the future in song, movement and hip-hop. It’s very effective.
Harold Crawford’s costumes bridge history with the present, from the colorful African dashiki of Soothsayer He (Benjamin “Ras Solo” Simmons) to the contemporary togs of Soothsayer She (Tamika Storrs).
The play is interspersed with poetry and music, like choral speech or rap, and accompanied by movement, as in the moving spiritual “Let This Cup Pass.” The overlapping pantomime and freeze frames are extremely well-drawn.
I loved Emeka’s fluid staging, which utilizes the entire space of the theater, including the aisles. The ample use of voiceovers makes the 11-member cast feel a whole lot larger, and the segueing of scenes under Emeka’s disciplined direction is seamless.
The story of “Julius X” highlights the internecine struggle by black America after centuries of servitude and racism to forge its own identity.
The play enlightens both blacks and whites about a troubled era of history that remains relevant today.
Karamu Performing Arts Theatre is at 2355 East 89th St. 216-795-7077 or www.karamu.com.
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