PHILADELPHIA, PA — William Shakespeare’s cautionary tale of power, ambition, and political violence is being thrust headlong into the modern age as Philadelphia Theatre Company prepares to debut Caesar, a lean, visually charged adaptation of Julius Caesar that aims to feel less like a history lesson and more like a breaking-news event.
The production runs February 6 through February 22 at the Suzanne Roberts Theatre on South Broad Street, transforming Shakespeare’s sprawling tragedy into a tightly wound, 90-minute contemporary thriller that mirrors today’s media-saturated political climate.
Adapted by PTC Co-Artistic Director Tyler Dobrowsky and directed by Wilma Theater Co-Artistic Director Morgan Green, Caesar pares the original text down to its most volatile core. The story unfolds in a world of social media frenzies, public spectacle, and political exhaustion, where rhetoric spreads instantly and consequences spiral out of control. Shakespeare’s original language remains, but it is fused with modern video, sound, and cinematic design to heighten urgency and relevance.
Dobrowsky said the production is designed to confront audiences with how disturbingly current the play feels. He described Julius Caesar as a story about democratic ideals colliding with human ambition, where noble intentions can ignite chaos. His adaptation compresses the narrative to emphasize speed, emotional intensity, and clarity, inviting both longtime Shakespeare readers and first-time viewers to experience the play as a visceral political drama rather than a distant classic.
At the center of the story is Brutus, the principled senator who joins a conspiracy to assassinate Caesar in the name of liberty, only to unleash a chain reaction that plunges Rome into civil war. In this reimagined version, Rome closely resembles modern America, with leaders shaping optics, manipulating perception, and performing for an ever-watching public.
Green approaches Caesar as both an intimate character study and a live cinematic event. Known for design-forward productions, she layers choreography, movement, and an immersive video landscape to chart the collapse from soaring speeches to raw, physical violence. She said the play examines how power often hinges on confidence and showmanship until language fails and force takes over.
The four-actor ensemble streamlines Shakespeare’s cast into shifting roles that spotlight the story’s central relationships. Matteo Scammell stars as Brutus, with Jaime Maseda making his PTC debut as Marc Antony. J Hernandez plays Cassius, and Jude Sandy appears as Caesar. The condensed cast underscores the intimacy and volatility of the political alliances at the heart of the drama.
Movement and physical storytelling play a critical role, with choreography by Jungwoong Kim pushing the production toward an increasingly expressionistic finale that plunges audiences into the chaos of civil war. Throughout the show, immersive media design incorporates original video content and Philadelphia-shot footage, turning screens into a modern-day chorus that reflects how information ricochets through the public sphere.
PTC will also host two student matinees on February 12 and February 19 as part of its education mission, alongside a slate of pre-show events, post-show conversations, and accessible performances, including audio-described, open-captioned, and ASL-interpreted shows.
Tickets start at $30 and are available through the Philadelphia Theatre Company website. The production is recommended for audiences ages 12 and up due to depictions of violence.
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