Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar comes to the candlelit Sam Wanamaker Playhouse at Shakespeare’s Globe in a brutal, fast-moving new staging directed by Joe Hill-Gibbins. One of Shakespeare’s most quoted and most political plays, it asks a question that never dates: what happens when good people decide that the only way to save their country is to kill the man leading it?
Rome is at the height of its power, and its greatest general, Julius Caesar, is being carried towards something close to a crown. To a group of senators, that is a step too far. The high-minded Brutus, torn between his love for Caesar and his love for the republic, is drawn into a conspiracy by the shrewd, restless Cassius. Their plot ends in one of the most famous murders in all of drama, but the daggers on the Senate floor settle nothing. As Mark Antony turns the grief of the crowd into fury, the conspirators are swept into a civil war that consumes them all.
Staged by candlelight in the intimate surroundings of the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse, where every whispered plot and public speech is only feet away, this is a chance to experience Shakespeare’s tautest thriller at close quarters. It is a play about friendship and betrayal, principle and pragmatism, and the terrible ease with which violence outruns the people who unleash it.
Why it’s worth the watch
Julius Caesar is Shakespeare at his sharpest and most urgent, and the candlelit playhouse is the perfect place to feel its force. Here is why it stands out:
- A political thriller that still bites. Its questions about power, loyalty and legitimate force feel startlingly current.
- Candlelit and close. The Sam Wanamaker Playhouse stages it entirely by candlelight, just feet from your seat.
- A director on form. Joe Hill-Gibbins returns to the Globe after his acclaimed Ghosts with his trademark fast, stripped-back style.
- Remarkable value. With tickets starting low, it is one of the most rewarding ways to see Shakespeare in London.
