Antiquity shines in 'Caesar'

Consistency is key for PlayMakers Repertory Company. Each theatrical foray the group undertakes is a dramatic success, full of the things professional theater is made of.

“Caesar and Cleopatra,” the company’s latest production, is no different. And in this case, more of the same isn’t exactly a bad idea.

The story, written by George Bernard Shaw, revolves around Julius Caesar’s visit to Alexandria at the height of the Roman Empire.

The production, dizzying in scale, casts an air of virtuosity in its opening minutes and holds it until the very end.

Headlined by Broadway veteran Christopher Coucill, “Caesar and Cleopatra” possesses an appeal that few campus productions can boast: a lucid appreciation of antiquity.

To be sure, the most involved aspect of the production isn’t the acting or the story line, but the set itself.

THEATER REVIEW CAESAR AND CLEOPATRA PLAYMAKERS REPERTORY COMPANY SUNDAY, APRIL 17

Transforming a mundane wooden stage into the sand-swept palaces of Egypt is no small task, and the outcome was laudable. Decorated with ornate statues and weathered hieroglyphics, the stage was, indeed, fit for a queen.

And what a queen she was. Making her second appearance in a PlayMakers production, Charity Henson completely embodied the historic queen — or at least what stage and screen have taught us about her.

Henson’s dramatic transformation at the start of the play’s third act is astonishing. As we see the queen mature as a ruler, so, too, do we see Henson mature as an actress.

Coucill also delivered an amazing performance in his PlayMakers debut.

After Broadway roles in “Annie Get Your Gun,” “Kiss Me Kate” and “The Graduate,” Coucill appeared to make a near-flawless transition to the smaller-set stage of the Paul Green Theatre.

Simultaneously overwhelming and subtle, Coucill’s representation of Caesar is powerful. Gone are the notions of an oafish and decadent ruler.

Taking center stage instead is a kinder, gentler Caesar who nurtures Cleopatra from adolescent immaturity to stately womanhood.

Director David Hammond, now in his 20th season with PlayMakers, delivers an uncanny effort with “Caesar and Cleopatra.” The scale of it all is only surpassed by the performances delivered.

Comedic at times and strikingly serious at others, “Caesar and Cleopatra” presents a dramatic dichotomy that few productions can assuredly display.

The show will run until May 1. Performances are at 8 p.m. Wednesdays through Saturdays and at 2 p.m. Sundays.

Contact the A&E Editor at artsdesk@unc.edu.