On a somewhat damp evening, we all trooped over one of Magdalen College School’s white bridges to stands set up round three sides, which were well-spaced so that everyone could see. The first surprise was the positioning of the stand so close to MagdalenBridge and its traffic. I remember a performance once down by the river which was magical and much quieter: maybe there was no choice this time.

Given the political situation today, I did wonder whether something would be made of the similarities - the toppling of a leader, back-stabbing etc. - but there was no obvious reference. The pulling down of the statue was more reminiscent of the iconic photo from Iraq of Saddam Hussein’s statue being torn down.

The play starts well with one actor (Omar Bynon) running round the audience spurring us on to shout “Caesar” and other somewhat less Shakespearean phrases: in fact, the three actors who played several minor parts were excellent with their enthusiasm and energy. The same could not be said of some of the other actors.The position of the stand did mean that the actors had to shout or not be heard: some speeches were lost to the rumbling of a bus going over Magdalen Bridge; at other times, the actors had to raise their voices to be heard which meant the subtlety of the moods was lost. Brutus, in particular, did not have the presence to carry some of those scenes. It is a great pity: Brutus’s slow conversion to the idea of killing Caesar and, in particular, the fluctuating moods in the argument between Cassius and Brutus in Act 4, are somewhat lost to the need to project voices. Sadly, there is no amplification. Cassius is fragile and touchy; you can understand why Caesar is nervous about him (‘Yon Cassius has a lean and hungry look. He thinks too much. Such men are dangerous’). Casca, in Act 1, has a suitably ‘sour fashion’ and much was made of accents which lightened the tone at times during the play. It is always difficult for an actor to deliver a famous speech (‘To be or not to be’ in Hamlet being perhaps the most famous). ‘Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears’ is well delivered by Antony although the 3 actors playing the crowd and running up and down the aisles among us, made the scene almost comic at times. Again, some of the subtlety was lost to the need to project.

The set was very simple but effective: the fight scenes were well choreographed and, when the actors come on to take their bow, you are surprised that there are only 8 of them – they carry off the changes really well.The energy of the minor characters will ensure that you have an enjoyable evening with more laughter than usual in Julius Caesar.