Julius X, Folger Shakespeare Theatre, Washington, DC
Jonathan Del Palmer (Marc Anthony) and Brandon Carter (Julius X) in Folger Theatre's production of Julius X: A Re-envisioning of The Tragedy of Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare, written by Al Letson and directed by Nicole Brewer, on stage at the Folger Shakespeare Library. Photography by Erika Nizborski. Julius X is subtitled, on the title page of the program, as “a re-envisioning of the tragedy of Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare.” It is a bold, creative, some might even say audacious, incorporation of the story of Malcolm X, the controversial civil rights activist who was assassinated in 1965, into this classic play. Playwright Al Letson has crafted this play using much of Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar as a framework. Letson uses some of Shakespeare’s original dialogue, augmenting it with his own words. Much of the time Letson emulates Shakespeare’s language, while contemporizing much to fit the period (the mid-1960s) and location (Harlem). While this...