Jon Tracy Offers Startling Vision of National Disintegration

by Corey Finnegan

“Pity the nation that…acclaims the bully as hero and aims to rule the world by force…Pity the people who allow their rights to erode and their freedoms to be washed away.”

Thus exclaims the poet Cinna midway through Director Jon Tracy’s adaption of “Julius Caesar,” borrowed from poet Kahlil Gibran. And how can we not hear these words as a warning to us?

Indeed, the whole play is a warning against the temptation of political violence, which proves self-defeating. Ironically, “Julius Caesar” really tells the story of his killers, who in Tracy’s interpretation are sisters played by real-life sisters Bridgette and Charisse Loriaux.

Both Loriauxs shine as passionate women horrified by their country falling into the hands of a dictator, a fear we understand too well at present. So, it seems entirely appropriate that Cassius (Charisse) should convince Brutus (Bridgette) to betray her friend Caesar and murder him for the good of Rome.

Because of the danger currently posed by our own Caesar-like figure, it seems a curious choice to set the play in a world resembling the 60s/70s, when American democracy was at high tide— which so unsettled America’s business elites they spent the last 50 years hollowing it out.

Yet the 60s setting allows for a striking visual and audio experience, thanks to Nina Ball’s incredible set design—and some classic songs. The faded posters on the wall reveal a dystopian Rome, where a handful of men struggle to gain power by force and cunning.

In Act I, Ball’s claustrophobic set is populated by actors standing silent as mannequins, representing the invisible masses. Her set design for Act II is positively inspired, evoking a Rome descended into chaos and civil war. For theater-lovers, the play’s sharp acting and arresting design are reason enough to see the show.

Pitch-perfect Johnny Moreno shines as a guitar-strumming folk-rock Caesar. Shakespeare’s script doesn’t delve much into Caesar’s character, yet Moreno succeeds in making him feel complicated and vulnerable. What’s missing from the reimagined script is a clearer picture of his narcissism.

The clearest window into Caesar’s personality comes when his clairvoyant wife Calpurnia (Natalie Adona) begs him to stay home and avoid her premonitions of doom. Adona is fire—her fear and determination are powerful. Even Caesar is convinced—for a moment.

But this is the story of Caesar’s assassins, which explains the 1960s setting. Brutus naively thinks the public will support his tyrannicide, but he is undone by the cunning of Marc Antony (Brady Morales-Woolery).

As the walls close in on the conspirators, we are horrified by the murder of Casca (Dave Garrett), who hits all the right notes. Steve Price portrays another doomed conspirator, Port (a male Portia), embodying a pathetic and noble love for Brutus.

In the end, Caesar’s murder leads to civil war and the rise of a more powerful dictator, which suggests our country dodged a bullet when Trump was shot in the ear. Tracy’s “Julius Caesar” makes it clear: Once a country descends into political violence, it opens a Pandora’s Box of horrors that cannot be contained.

“Julius Caesar” by William Shakespeare, reimagined & directed by Jon Tracy, scenic design by Nina Ball, choreographed by Leslie Waggoner, costumes by Alia Davis Brown, sound by Ray Archie, and lighting by Christian V. Majia, at Marin Shakespeare Company, at Forest Meadows Amphitheatre, Dominican University, San Rafael, California.

Info: marinshakespeare.org – to September 13, 2026.

Cast: Natalie Adona, Dave Garrett, Bridgette Loriaux, Charisse Loriaux, Brady Morales-Woolery, Johnny Moreno, Molly Noble, Steve Price, Mary Ann Rodgers, Calla Hollingsworth, Ryan Cooke, Max Kelly, Blue Kennedy, and Sarah Levy.

Banner photo: Charisse Loriaux, Mary Ann Rodgers, Johnny Moreno, Dave Garrett. Photos: Jay Yamada