Ten Bucks Theatre Company’s thoughtful and provocative production of “Julius Caesar” is one of its best offerings since the COVID 19 pandemic. It has political intrigue, a bloody coup, battles with swords and politicians giving some memorable speeches.
It is the first event at the new permanent performance space installed by the City of Brewer at Indian Trail Park, where Ten Bucks has produced the plays of William Shakespeare for more than two decades. It is not an improvement for outdoor theater there.
Julie Arnold Lisnet, a co-founder of Ten Bucks, in her program note called the play “a profound and cautionary tale that the fight against tyranny can descend into tyranny itself. It is a timely reminder of the fragility of institutions and what we are willing to destroy when we ‘cry havoc and let slip the dogs of war!’”
Despite the play’s name, its tragic hero is Brutus (Martin Guarnieri). The actor beautifully wrings all the anguish out of Shakespeare’s dialogue as the Senator debates with himself about whether Caesar is planning to crown himself king. Guarnieri, who starred in “Mother Russia” last year at the Penobscot Theatre Company, slowly unravels Brutus’ conflicting emotions over the plot to assassinate Caesar. It is one of his finest and most layered performances.
Cassius (Natalie Lisnet, the director’s daughter) is the friend who convinces Brutus to join the conspiracy to slay Caesar. She and Guarnieri work well together. She has played men in previous productions but is most convincing in this role and perfectly captures Cassius’ conniving and manipulative personality.
This Julius Caesar (Ron Lisnet, the director’s husband) is a kind and genial man, not the tyrant his assassins believe him to be. He is suspicious of Cassius and dislikes him but views Brutus as a loyal friend. Ron Lisnet’s portrayal is of a caring leader whose ambitions are misinterpreted by those around. This Caesar is more sympathetic than most and it works well in this show.
Mark Anthony (Patrick “Patty” Morris) is another matter. Morris portrays the man loyal to Caesar, who avenges his slaying, as a tyrant in waiting. He appears to goose step at one point, signaling a connection to the fascist regimes of Adolph Hitler and Benito Mussolini. It is an intriguing but confusing performance after Morris’ fine turns in Ten Bucks’ “Woman in Black” three years ago and True North Theatre Company’s “Dancing at Lughnasa” in June. But Morris does push theatergoers to ask, “Who is the tyrant here, really?”
This is the first time Ten Bucks has used the new performance space the City of Brewer installed at the park. Previously, the stage was nestled in trees near the Penobscot River. The audience members brought folding chairs or blankets to sit on with their backs to North Main Street, also known as Route 9.
Instead of building a permanent performance space there, the city created a hill in the middle of the park close to the parking lot and about halfway from the busy street and the previous performance space. The city installed concrete seats that people can put folding chairs on or just sit on.
The previous setup protected the audience from the wind and limited the street noise. Sunday evening, the cool wind had theatergoers going to their cars at intermission to get sweatshirts and blankets. Because the show starts at 6 p.m., so that shows end before dark, actors in the new space spent the first 20 minutes of the performance squinting into the setting sun. One actor wore sun glasses for the first few scenes but later took them off.
As for street noise, the recently completed Route 9 bypass off Interstate 395 has lessened considerably the truck noise on North Main Street but the sounds from motorcycles and vehicles with defective mufflers on Sunday occasionally drowned out the dialogue.
Despite the drawbacks of the new site, “Julius Caesar” is a triumph following the company’s disappointing “Pride and Prejudice” earlier this year. It also reminds us during these divisive political times that “The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, but in ourselves …”
Ten Bucks Theatre Company’s production of “Julius Caesar” will be performed at 6 p.m. Thursday through Sunday at Indian Trail Park in Brewer. In case of rain, the show will move to the Brewer Performing Arts Center, 92 Pendleton St. The show will be performed at 6 p.m. July 30 through Aug. 2, at Fort Knox in Prospect. For more information, visit tenbuckstheatre.org.