Julius Caesar (The Public Theater)
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Julius Caesar (The Public Theater)
78

Julius Caesar (The Public Theater) NYC Reviews and Tickets

78%
(171 Ratings)
Positive
83%
Mixed
15%
Negative
2%
Members say
Relevant, Great acting, Ambitious, Clever, Entertaining

About the Show

The Public Theater’s artistic director, Oskar Eustis, helms the Bard's play of politics and power, last seen at the Delacorte 17 years ago. Part of Shakespeare in the Park's free summer season.

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Show-Score Member Reviews (171)

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399 Reviews | 205 Followers
97
Absorbing, Great acting, Great writing, Intelligent, Relevant

See it if A terrific new take on a classic. Having Antony played by Elizabeth Marvel was a genius stroke.

Don't see it if Those who complain about this show are missing the point. Its message is staunchly anti-violence. If you're stupid, you won't get it. Read more

53 Reviews | 17 Followers
96
Absorbing, Clever, Edgy

See it if You have a sense of humor-you are outraged by Trump, but you see the comedy in his stupidity and the danger in his "I am the best/perfect .

Don't see it if You think Julius Caesar should not be screwed with....not edited, not any parallels to our world.

62 Reviews | 35 Followers
94
Great staging, Intelligent, Resonant, Thought-provoking

See it if You enjoy Shakespeare and Central Park. Appreciate a timely production of a classic story that is an important cautionary for all of us.

Don't see it if You can't appreciate the ending. All the crazy killing is for nothing. You love Trump.

60 Reviews | 34 Followers
92
Ambitious, Great staging, Masterful, Relevant, Must see

See it if You want to see Shakespeare, modern and relevant. No one does it like The Public! It's so engrossing, it almost makes me angry. Must see!

Don't see it if Don't see it if you're awful. Or, do see it, learn something, and become less awful.

154 Reviews | 31 Followers
90
Clever, Entertaining, Intelligent

See it if you want to see Julius Caesar presented in a smart, relatable way

Don't see it if If you're a Trump supporter Read more

179 Reviews | 82 Followers
90
Edgy, Must see, Politicial, Clever, Intense

See it if you are interested in current political news and, of course, if you enjoy seeing live theater in the beautiful surroundings of The Delacorte

Don't see it if you don't like plays with violence...

1166 Reviews | 464 Followers
89
Ambitious, Great staging, Intelligent, Masterful, Relevant

See it if You usually have a hard time with Shakespeare, the contemporary setting of this helps to make it more clear and understandable-and relevant!

Don't see it if If you hate Shakespeare. As good as this is, it's still two plus hours of a play you'll probably hate, wondering what they're talking about.

161 Reviews | 54 Followers
88
Quirky, Intense, Intelligent, Great staging, Absorbing

See it if A modern version of Trump-like Julius Caesar set for today's times. Well performed and staged.

Don't see it if Modernized Shakespeare. A little too literal would prefer to make connections myself.

Critic Reviews (38)

The New York Times
June 12th, 2017

"The first half...is great, nasty fun, even if it’s preaching to the choir. To the extent there is a problem with the Trumpification of 'Julius Caesar'...it arises in the second half...It is then that we are faced with the ways that Trump and Caesar never properly scanned, and an aftermath in which that confusion breeds more confusion...To be fair, this is a problem built into the play...The fault is not in the stars, as good a group as the Public has assembled in the park in years."
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Time Out New York
June 12th, 2017

"The play is not an endorsement of violence; it’s a cautionary tale about its risks...Although the cast delivers Shakespeare’s verse with remarkable lucidity, the characters are secondary; the focus of this production is on political, not personal, tragedy, and it offers a dark vision of the rise of authoritarianism. Yes, the repeated allusions to Trump elicit giggles of recognition at first. But when the smoke clears two hours later, nobody is laughing."
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The Wall Street Journal
June 13th, 2017

“In this production, the real tyrant is not Caesar, but its director, Oskar Eustis. He more clearly comes across as ambitious, inconsistent, with little regard for limits, manipulating his audience by playing to popular taste...But what about Shakespeare?…He was exploring the evolving tensions between populism and patrician heritage...Such themes don’t fit easily with Eustis’ grade-school notions. But they are far more intriguing than the tyrannical vision he crudely enforces in their place.”
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Deadline
June 12th, 2017

"Shakespeare scored contemporary political points by cloaking them in historical allegories. Eustis demands no such imaginative leap...The production is meant to provoke...A very good production whose singular drawback is that it makes no sense...Even given its rough satirical edge, the pleasures and the faults of this production lie not in the stars but in ourselves: It’s a staging for this age, if not the ages."
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Variety
June 12th, 2017

"In most Shakespeare productions in the park, mob scenes have to be taken on faith, with the same handful of actors scurrying about trying to look like legions. But this surging Roman mob has real numbers, and its fickle allegiances to one demagogic political figure after another makes it genuinely frightening...The Trump analogy doesn’t hold up once Caesar is assassinated...The instigators of violence are exceptionally well cast and forcefully played."
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The Hollywood Reporter
June 12th, 2017

"We get the idea immediately, and since it doesn’t go anywhere particularly interesting after that we just as quickly lose interest. Its would-be provocative central conceit notwithstanding, this is a bland, unevenly acted production of Shakespeare’s play whose main virtues are its fast pace and vigorous energy...Further illustrating the production’s lack of subtlety is David Rockwell’s ugly-as-sin set design...A production whose aesthetic gears are grinding too noisily and predictably."
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The Washington Post
June 16th, 2017

"Without a doubt worth your time—and not because the allusions to contemporary politics, though compelling, are particularly seditious, or groundbreaking...What feels first-rate here is not so much these editorial-cartoon interludes as the potent handling of the drama’s tragic dimension...The outstanding Stoll and Thompson contribute mightily to the sense of this as one of the best-spoken and liveliest 'Julius Caesars' in recent memory...Best of all is Marvel who lives up to her surname."
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Entertainment Weekly
June 12th, 2017

"This staging is far less interested in exploring the psychology of Caesar (or Trump) than it is in examining the inner workings of democracy...Bringing these complicated themes to the public for free is a worthwhile cause...Although the Public’s version isn’t perfect, it’s a worthy attempt to bring Shakespeare’s most deeply democratic work into the present, with a lively, contemplative production."
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