Actors’ Shakespeare Project is bringing an all-female production of “Julius Caesar” to Boston this holiday season.
The new take on the Shakespeare classic, which debuts at Studio 210 this week, draws a bit of inspiration from the 2016 presidential election. Liz Adams, who plays the famed Roman politician, reveals to Metro that Hillary Clinton served as her muse while she formed her take on Caesar.
“Honestly, a little bit of it came from Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign,” Adams says. “She’s a strong leader, and that’s certainly true of Caesar as well.”
While a New York production of the play generated controversy over the summer for having its Caesar don a Trump-style costume, don’t expect to see any pantsuits on this version of the Roman leader. In this case, the inspiration is less overt, drawing more from the spirit of Clinton’s failed campaign, which had a Shakespearian quality to it.
“Caesar’s not really the bad guy,” says Adams. “It’s a tragedy because nobody is really a bad guy. They’re doing the best they can and they’re doing what they think they’re called on by the needs of their country to do.”
Between an all-female cast and design team, as well as having Bryn Boice in the director’s chair, this version of “Julius Caesar” celebrates women in every aspect of the production. However, Adams doesn’t believe that the female-focused play should be that big of a deal, considering how prevalent all-male plays have been throughout the centuries.
“It’s a big deal, but it kind of shouldn’t be,” Adams says.
However, the actress does believe that the time is right to shine a light on artistic female voices, especially with the #MeToo campaign and all the stories about sexual harassment making headlines.
“The time’s really right to hear these words with women’s voices and to see what the vision of a female director and design team can bring us,” Adams says. “I’m really pleased to be participating in this process now.”
If you go:
Through Dec. 17, Studio 210, 264 Huntington Ave., Boston, $25+, bostontheatrescene.com/season/Julius-Caesar
