Julius Caesar

Plot Summary

Julius Caesar has returned to Rome triumphant from the war against Pompey. The Roman republic is prepared to heap him with new honours, causing concern and dismay among some senators who fear that too much power is held by one man. Caius Cassius plots a conspiracy to murder Caesar, enlisting the support of the well-respected Marcus Brutus. Brutus has misgivings but is persuaded that Caesar's death is necessary for the good of the republic. However, he rejects Cassius' proposal that Mark Antony, close friend of Caesar, should also be killed. Brutus, Cassius and their co-conspirators stab Caesar to death at the senate house on the Ides of March. At Caesar's funeral Brutus addresses the people and successfully explains the conspirators' motives. However, Mark Antony speaks next and turns the mob against the conspirators, who are forced to flee from Rome. Mark Antony and Caesar's nephew, Octavius, take command of Rome and lead an army against the conspirators. Brutus and Cassius are defeated at Philippi where they kill themselves rather than be captured.

RSC Staging History 1960-2007

1963 RST: John Blatchley
John Bury (design); John Bury (lighting); Guy Woolfenden (music)

Tom Fleming (Brutus), Kenneth Haigh (Mark Antony), Cyril Cusack (Cassius), Roy Dotrice (Julius Caesar), Charles Kay (Octavius Caesar), Cherry Morris (Portia), Susan Engel (Calpurnia), Nicholas Selby (Casca), Clifford Rose (Soothsayer), Jolyon Booth (Cicero/Titinius), Derek Waring (Decius Brutus), John Hussey (Cinna), Brian Jackson (Metellus Cimber), Philip Brack (Trebonius), Jeffery Dench (Caius Ligarius/Flavius), Ken Wynne (Artemidorus), Shaun Curry (Popilius Lena), David Warner (Cinna the Poet), Michael Murray (Marullus), Peter Geddis (Lucius), John Normington (A Cobbler), Ronald Falk (A Carpenter), Tim Wylton (Claudius), Penelope Keith, Roy Marsden (Citizens)

1968 RST/1968-69 Aldwych: John Barton
John Gunter (design), Ann Curtis (costumes); Michael White (lighting); Derek Oldfield (music)

Barrie Ingham (Brutus), Charles Thomas (Mark Antony), Ian Richardson (Cassius), Brewster Mason (Julius Caesar), Geoffrey Hutchings (Octavius Caesar/Cicero), Lynn Farleigh (Portia), Christina Greatrex (Calpurnia), Derek Smith (Casca), Emrys James (Decius Brutus), William McGuirk (Cinna), Ron Daniels (Metellus Cimber), Peter Clay (Trebonius), Richard Mayes (Caius Ligarius), Jeffery Dench (Artemidorus), Brian Foster (Popilius Lena), Morgan Sheppard (Marullus), Peter Geddis (Titinius)

1972 RST/1973 Aldwych: Trevor Nunn with Buzz Goodbody, Euan Smith
Christopher Morley, Ann Curtis (design); John Bradley, Brian Harris (lighting); Guy Woolfenden (music)

John Wood (Brutus), Richard Johnson (Mark Antony), Patrick Stewart (Cassius), Mark Dignam (Julius Caesar), Corin Redgrave (Octavius Caesar), Margaret Tyzack (Portia), Judy Cornwell/Mary Rutherford (Calpurnia), Gerald James/Philip Locke (Casca), John Bott (Soothsayer), Patrick Godfrey (Cicero), Raymond Westwell (Lepidus), Phillip Manikum (Decius Brutus), John Atkinson (Cinna/Titinius), Tim Pigott-Smith (Metellus Cimber/Dardanius), Keith Taylor (Trebonius), Paul Gaymon (Caius Ligarius), Jonathan Holt (Artemidorus), Malcolm Kaye (Popilius Lena), Constantin de Goguel (Flavius), Chris Harris (Cinna the Poet), Clement McCallin (Marullus), Don Henderson (Lucilius), Arthur Whybrow (Citizen)

1979 RST: Barry Kyle
Christopher Morley (design); Brian Harris (lighting); James Walker (music)

Ben Kingsley (Brutus), David Threlfall (Mark Antony), James Laurenson (Cassius), John Woodvine (Julius Caesar), Peter Clough (Octavius Caesar), Emma Williams (Portia), Jane Downs (Calpurnia), Nigel Terry (Casca), Norman Tyrrell(Soothsayer), Timothy Knightley (Cicero/Messala), Christopher Ravenscroft (Lepidus), Tim Brierley (Decius Brutus/Volumnius), Jeffery Dench (Cinna/Lucilius), Nick Ellsworth (Metellus Cimber), Mark Tandy (Trebonius), Nicholas Gecks (Caius Ligarius/Titinius), William Maxwell (Artemidorus), Terence Harvey (Popilius Lena), Terence Harvey (Flavius), David Creedon (Cinna the Poet), Neil Phillips (Marullus)

1983 RST/1984 Barbican: Ron Daniels
Farrah (design), Ann Curtis (costumes); André Tammes (lighting); Nigel Hess (music)

Peter McEnery (Brutus), David Schofield (Mark Antony), Emrys James (Cassius), Joseph O'Conor (Julius Caesar), Nigel Cooke (Octavius Caesar), Gemma Jones (Portia), Lesley Duff (Calpurnia), John Dicks (Casca), Griffith Jones (Soothsayer), Timothy Knightley (Cicero/Lepidus), Paul Clayton (Decius Brutus), Jeremy Wilkin (Cinna), Paul Mooney (Metellus Cimber), John Nolan (Trebonius), Stanley Dawson (Caius Ligarius), Lewis Jones (Artemidorus), David Killick (Popilius Lena), Roger Hume/David Killick (Flavius), Raymond Platt (Cinna the Poet), Oliver Ford Davies (Marullus/Titinius), Eileen Page (An Aristocratic Woman), Clyde Pollitt (A Cobbler), Campbell Morrison (A Carpenter), Tilda Swinton (Plebeian Woman)

1987 RST/1988 Barbican: Terry Hands
Farrah (design), Alexander Reid (costumes); Terry Hands, Clive Morris (lighting); Guy Woolfenden (music)

Roger Allam (Brutus), Nicholas Farrell/Linus Roache (Mark Antony), Sean Baker (Cassius), David Waller/Joseph O'Conor (Julius Caesar), Gregory Doran (Octavius Caesar), Janet Amsbury (Portia), Susan Colverd (Calpurnia), Geoffrey Freshwater (Casca), Griffith Jones (Soothsayer), Richard Conway (Cicero/Popilius Lena), Dennis Clinton (Lepidus), William Chubb (Decius Brutus/Titinius), Gordon Case (Cinna/Lucilius), Derek Hutchinson (Metellus Cimber/Strato), Steven Elliott (Trebonius/Pindarus), Ian Barritt (Caius Ligarius/Flavius), Hakeem Kae-Kazim (Cinna the Poet), Mike Dowling (Marullus/Messala), Piers Ibbotson (Young Cato), Jane Leonard (Lady)

1991 RST: Steven Pimlott
Tobias Hoheisel (design); Paul Pyant (lighting); Peter Salem (music)

Jonathan Hyde (Brutus), Owen Teale (Mark Antony), David Bradley (Cassius), Robert Stephens (Julius Caesar), Scott Ransome (Octavius Caesar), Jane Gurnett (Portia), Celia Gregory (Calpurnia), Bernard Gallagher (Casca), Ken Wynne (Soothsayer), Stephen Webber (Cicero), Bernard Kay (Lepidus/Caius Ligarius), Terence Wilton (Decius Brutus), Henry Webster (Cinna), Terence Hillyer (Metellus Cimber), Alan Partington (Trebonius), Michael Poole (Artemidorus), Peter Bygott (Popilius Lena), Anthony Douse (Flavius), David Terence (Cinna the Poet/Marullus/Titinius), Roy Heather (A Cobbler), Andrew McDonald (A Carpenter), Emily Joyce (Lady), Alexis Daniel (Claudius/Servant to Mark Antony)

1993 TOP/1993-94 Small-scale Tour: David Thacker
Fran Thompson (design); Alan Burrett (lighting); Mark Vibrans (music)

Jeffrey Kissoon (Brutus), Barry Lynch (Mark Antony), Rob Edwards (Cassius), David Sumner (Julius Caesar), Andew Maud (Octavius Caesar/Metellus Cimber), Francesca Ryan (Portia), Tricia Kelly (Calpurnia), Kenn Sabberton (Casca), Michael Packer (Soothsayer/Titinius), Michael Poole (Cicero/Lepidus), Vivian Munn (Decius Brutus), Mike Dowling (Cinna), Howard Crossley (Trebonius/A Cobbler), Will Tacey (Caius Ligarius/Artemidorus/Flavius), Anthony Cochrane (Popilius Lena/Cinna the Poet/Marullus), Alan Gilchrist (A Carpenter)

1995 RST/1996 Barbican: Peter Hall
John Gunter (sets), Deidre Clancy (costumes); Jean Kalman (lighting); Guy Woolfenden (music)

John Nettles (Brutus), Hugh Quarshie (Mark Antony), Julian Glover (Cassius), Christopher Benjamin (Julius Caesar), Mark Bazeley (Octavius Caesar), Susan Tracy (Portia), Tilly Blackwood (Calpurnia), Michael Gardiner (Casca), Lionel Guyett (Soothsayer/Lepidus), William Whymper (Cicero/Caius Ligarius), Paul Bettany (Decius Brutus/Strato), Antony Byrne (Cinna), Robert Lister (Metellus Cimber), Timothy Davies (Trebonius), Paul Bentall (Artemidorus/A Cobbler), Leon Tanner (Popilius Lena/Flavius), Simon Chadwick (Cinna the Poet), Robert Arnold (Marullus/Titinius), David Frederickson (A Carpenter), Christopher Middleton/Dickon Tyrrell (Caesar's Servant)

2001 RST/2002 Barbican: Edward Hall
Michael Pavelka (design); Ben Ormerod (lighting); Simon Slater (music)

Greg Hicks (Brutus), Tom Mannion (Mark Antony), Tim Pigott-Smith (Cassius), Ian Hogg (Julius Caesar), John Hopkins (Octavius Caesar), Claire Cox (Portia), Siân Howard (Calpurnia), Colin McCormack (Casca), Chuk Iwuji (Soothsayer), Michael G. Jones (Cicero/Lepidus), Andrew Maud (Decius Brutus), Stuart Goodwin (Cinna), Charlie Simpson (Metellus Cimber), Damian Kearney (Trebonius), David Mara (Caius Ligarius), Conor Moloney (Artemidorus), Sean Hannaway (Popilius Lena/Cinna the Poet)

2004-05 Swan/Small-scale Tour: David Farr
Ti Green (design); Neil Austin (lighting); Keith Clouston (music)

Zubin Varla (Brutus), Gary Oliver (Mark Antony), Adrian Schiller (Cassius), Christopher Saul (Julius Caesar), Laurence Mitchell (Octavius Caesar), Rachel Pickup (Portia), Patrick Romer (Cicero), Richard Copestake (Metellus Cimber), Andrew Melville (Cinna the Poet), Vanessa Ackerman, Emma Powell (Citizens)

2006 RST (Complete Works Festival): Sean Holmes
Stephen Brimson-Lewis (sets), Kandis Cook (costumes); Paul Anderson (lighting); Adrian Lee (music); Chris Brand, Tom Haines (sound); Michael Ashcroft (movement)

John Light (Brutus), Ariyon Bakare (Mark Antony), Finbar Lynch (Cassius), James Hayes (Julius Caesar), Nick Court (Octavius Caesar), Mariah Gale (Portia), Golda Rosheuvel (Calpurnia), Joseph Alessi (Casca), Luke Neal (Soothsayer), Ravi Aujla (Caius Ligarius), Keith Osborn (Decius Brutus), Paul Barnhill (Cinna), Chris Jarman (Metellus Cimber), Rob Carroll (Trebonius), Edmund Kingsley (Popilius Lena), David Rubin (Flavius), Ewen Cummins (Marullus), Craig Gazey (Lucius), Allyson Brown (Caesar's Servant)