“Julius Caesar” is without question one of Shakespeare’s better plays. Why? Lots and lots of reasons–it’s shorter than most; it doesn’t get too bogged down in superfluous poetry; there is no clear protagonist or antagonist in any of the lead characters; it has a chock full of memorable quotes, which resonate to this day.

Jake Minter has produced a revival of the Bard’s history lesson, at American Theater of Actors on West 54th Street, with decidedly mixed results; though there are obvious shortcomings, the production in the overall produces a moderately successful evening in the theater.

Act One takes place on a bare stage, without a single set piece to be found anywhere…and, besides Caesar’s coffin at the beginning of Act Two, the stage remains barren for the duration of the play. This is not necessarily a bad thing, and certainly gives the performers ample opportunity to strut their stuff, for all to see. Jerzy Grotowski, the famed Polish director of the 1960s, did a social experiment of sorts when it came to theater–he wanted to see what elements were absolutely essential to the existence of a theatrical experience. He came up with only two–the audience and the performer. Nothing else was a requirement. A bare stage, for two hours, is not the worse thing in the world.

But that presumes an even-handedness when it comes to the level of performances…and, sadly, that is simply not the case here. There is no question that Dustin Pazar, as the fierce Cassius, shines his Light so overwhelmingly on the stage–from suspicious beginning to tragic end–and does so while giving everything he has in the tank. It was a performance for the ages–filled with fire and fury, with heartbreak, with profound irony and sadness…and if you’ve been paying attention, it simply takes your breath away.

His partner in literal crime, Brutus, was played by Sam Hardy…and while Mr. Hardy definitely brings his own acting chops to the stage–and has the most memorable voice on the stage to boot—there is the sense that he is not quite up to par with his colleague. Close…very close…just not quite. Certainly, Brutus is the most cerebral of the traitors, and the de facto leader, and Mr. Hardy conveys this extremely successfully. It is in the other areas–most notably the battle scenes which dominate Act Two–where his cerebral ways get in the way of the character’s moment-to-moment reality.

Alan Hasnas, as the doomed Caesar, was fine, and certainly was well-cast, possessing that essential patrician quality that one expects when playing a Roman Person of Importance. But he is not on stage enough to alter the production’s orbit; his death scene, one of the greatest scenes ever written for the stage–was strangely shallow, lacking emotion, and devoid of drama. His death line–‘Et tu, Brute?’–has gone down, properly, as one of the greatest lines of dialogue ever composed..and yet, it just felt like another thing that was said, without increased dramatic heft.

Everything on a stage must have some intrinsic meaning, much be connected to the overall in some fashion. Director James Jennings made some dubious choices in this matter–there, hanging along the upstage wall, was a gigantic white screen…one would naturally expect some sort of usage during the play. There was none, and there it remained, hanging, throughout the play, twisting in the wind. The costumes were another story altogether–a mish mash of several different styles and occupations, without any sign of coherence or consistency. Cowboy hats, berets, dinner jackets, pseudo-military attire mixed with clothing a farmer would wear–it was all so thoroughly confusing. Especially egregious was the costume that Cassius wore; he more resembled George Washington, or someone who stepped out of the Renaissance Fair, as a minstrel, rather than a proud capable Roman Warrior.

There is much to like in this production; and the director has used the entire theater building to stage the play, destroying the fourth wall in the process, which is of course fine if justified. A tip of the cap to him. On the flip side of the coin, there were also some things to wonder about. All in all, an enjoyable evening in the theater.