'Julius Caesar' performed in Superior

Cries for Cassius and cries for Marc Antony rang out from the crowd as the two men wrestled each other, opening the theatre play Julius Caesar last Thursday night. Mark Kuntz, who played Antony, welcomed audience to the Montana Shakespeare in the Parks performance.

The touring group is in its 38th season and in its second year without a major corporate sponsor. But as Kuntz put it, despite the company being "strapped for cash" they "fearlessly continue" to travel around and put on shows that are all free to the public. This season, the group will travel to 60 communities and put on 75 performances.

Following the gladiator fight, the play opened with Julius Caesar's triumphal parade, having defeated the mighty Pompey. Afterwards, Cassius, played by Gordon Carpenter, talks with Brutus, played by Steve Peebles, about his fears that the crown will be handed to Caesar. In doing so, he awakens his friend Brutus' pride, asking him, "Why should Caesar's name be sounded more than yours?" During their discussion, Brutus realizes that only by Caesar's death will things be taken care.

Together, the men continue to conspire to kill Caesar the following day, saying that they must "kill him boldly, but not with wrath." Later that night, the two conspirators meet with others and the plan to kill Caesar is drawn up. With the conspirators gone, Brutus' wife, Portia, played by Courtney Jones, comes to him and pleads with him to confide in her as she knows that something is amiss. Brutus refuses.

Likewise, Caesar's wife pleads with him not to go to the senate fearing the dreams she had during the night of his death may come true. Initially, Caesar says he will not go, however, the beautiful Decia convinces him otherwise.

"Lest you be laughed at," she tells him. "This day was the day they may bestow upon the mighty Caesar a crown."

Caesar goes to the senate and the men surround him stabbing him to death. The last attacker he sees is his friend Brutus. Antony, Caesar's friend returns too late. Brutus claims that "though I loved Caesar, I loved Rome more."

Antony reveals that Caesar left a sum of money to every citizen and the crowd becomes enraged attacking the conspirators. Brutus and Cassius flee and gather their armies, entering into battle against Antony and Octavius. Cassius, believing Brutus to be surrounded, kills himself and Brutus later does the same when learning of Cassius' death. With that, the play draws to a close.

While the original Shakespeare play had a company of 39, the play performed by the group only included tem people. Director Will Dickerson called the play a "personal story of ambition, betrayal and honor penned by the greatest humanist of the western world."

"The story of Julius Caesar is one of those tales that almost everyone vaguely remembers," he said in the director's notes. "...its historical impact reaches farther than the empire it destroyed, leading eventually to the formation of our own country. And so, it is a little alarming, and a whole lot of fun, to see the thing wrestled back to earth and presented in the flesh."

The audience was captivated throughout the performance on Thursday night and enjoyed it greatly. Upon their finish, the crowd gave the actors a loud applause.

"You can always tell when an audience is listening," Kuntz said thanking the audience afterwards.

Montana Shakespeare in the Parks is an outreach program of Montana State University's College of Arts and Architecture. Performances this summer are supported by and hundreds of individual donors who give what they can to keep the performances free and available to everyone in the touring area. Major Sponsors include the National Endowment for the Arts, Northwestern Energy, Stillwater Mining Company, Pacific Steel & Recycling, Gapwest Broadcasting, Montana Cultural Trust and the Montana Arts Council.

Local sponsors from the Superior area included the Superior High School Drama Department, Superior Education Association, Lion's Club, Town of Superior, Chamber of Commerce, Mineral Community Hospital, KC Sullivan Management Services, Kelley Insurance Agency, Mineral Pharmacy, Sullivan's Rock n' Rodeo, S & S Foods, Lincoln Development, Big Sky Motel, Mineral County Performing Arts Council, Carol and Roger Billadeau, Mullan Trail Bank, Wells Fargo Bank, Superior Antiques and Sporting Goods, Jim Goss and Cathy Reich.