This is true barebones theatre. You’ve got a big empty room with hard seats, a few all-purpose boxes, some curtains, and that’s really about it. Plus a big, talented, enthusiastic cast and a script by the GOAT* himself. Is that enough?

Well, absolutely it is. Enough, at least, to give its audience two hours of tense, fast-paced political drama, complete with conspiracy, weird ominous premonitions, murder, high-stakes domestic disputes, a winner-takes-all battle, bodies piled up on the stage, and piteous last farewells.

If you can forget for a moment about Julius Caesar being up there in the canon of Great Literature, it’s shatteringly good theatre. You’ve got to love the way Shakespeare draws out the suspense before the iconic assassination, and the ‘Will they? Won’t they?’ tension he builds between the conspirators. Then there’s the inexorable political unravelling after Caesar is killed.

You probably know how the story ends, but for some reason, it’s all still edge of the seat stuff. And of course, there’s the emotional acuity, and the skill with language, and all the other Shakespearean trademarks.

The barebones setting previously mentioned doesn’t really prepare the audience for the quality of the production itself. One minute, you’re staring at the exposed industrial-scale air-conditioning ducts and wondering whether you can handle two hours on this school hall-model plastic seat. There are some actors doing non-canonical crowd scene improv in front of you, and you wonder how this is all going to go. Then all at once, an actor is doing Shakespeare material, with all the right command and focus in his voice and face (Jonathan O’Drowsky, Murellus and Metellus Cimber), and you realise that this is going to be okay if not better.

As productions go, this one focuses on getting the basics right, rather than (for example) interpreting Shakespeare to fit with 21st century preoccupations. For example, it’s set in Rome, so the men wear togas or the pleb equivalent.

One thing that really stands out for your reviewer is the hard work that’s gone into diction. This might not sound exciting, but it can make a big difference. All the actors in this production give full value to their pronunciation and phrasing, and it gives a real boost to my ability to get into the play (as well as being a pleasure to listen to). I don’t know whether this was part of the production, or something that individual cast members arrived at independently, but it works. Congratulations to the voice coaches involved.

Something else that stands out is the way the delivery of lines is paced. The actors take their time and make sure their lines get the weight they deserve. This comment applies fairly consistently to everyone in the cast, although examples that quickly spring to mind are the delivery of the better-known set speeches by Jacob Tū-Pene Waugh (Markus Brutus), Connor Norris (Julius Caesar, First Soldier) and Alex Quinn (Mark Antony).

Diction and delivery together are enough to carry this production a long way towards excellence. Then there are those other elements that bring the parts of a character together and give them life – gesture and presence, I guess, and some extra quality of engagement. Ralph Johnson (Cassius) gives a masterclass in how to reach and stay at this higher level.

Overall, the production is blessed with a superabundance of talent, so the quality of acting is well sustained amongst the lesser characters.

Director Eli Hancock has worked well with the cast to make good use of the theatre space, both individually and in choreographing group scenes.

The venue – 2/57 Willis Street, Wellington – wasn’t straightforward to find on the night I went. Be prepared to be directed to the Victoria Street entrance. I recommend you persist, it’s well worth the trouble.

*Meaning William Shakespeare, not Lionel Messi.

Copyright © in the review belongs to the reviewer