A struggle for control at the heart of a state followed by the assassination of the leader; division between rival noblemen and their factions; the resulting civil war; the death of a nobleman's wife by suicide; and lastly the ritual suicide of all the original conspirators against the leader. Sound familiar? But this is not Japan in the 18th century, this is Rome in the first century B.C., as dramatized by William Shakespeare in "Julius Caesar."
"Julius Caesar" is being performed by OUDS (Oxford University Dramatic Society), currently on tour in Japan with their English language production. What Shakespeare puts on stage is nothing less than the battle between autocracy and rule for (if not by) the people -- a theme that is played out around the world in countless states over and over again. When Brutus, de facto leader of the coup d'etat, shouts "Freedom, liberty, tyranny is dead," it's hard to get the echo of the French revolution's famous rallying cry "Liberte, Egalite, Fraternite," out of your head.
The production, directed by Sam Brown, draws out the modernity of the play's themes. Huge screenprinted photographic banners bearing images of the play's main protagonists -- like political or pop icons -- dominate the stage, and when Caesar's ghost appears before the Battle of Phillipi, he appears as a projection on a screen. This approach works well.