Julius Caesar Goes Gangster

THE FALL WITH FOR THE LOVE OF MUSIC. VOLUME 4. >> THAT SURE LOOKED LIKE IT WAS A LOT OF FUN. WHAT IMPRESSED YOU MOST? TOM? >> THE SONGS WERE GREAT. THE STORIES THEY TOLD BEFORE EACH PERFORMANCE WERE COMPELLING. BUT I WAS REALLY IMPRESSED MOST BY THEIR AUTHENTICITY. EACH OF THESE 4 SINGER-SONGWRITERS THEIR CAREERS ARE ON THE UPSWING. IT WOULD HAVE BEEN SURPRISING IF THEY HAD GOT SWEPT UP IN THEIR THEIR GROWING FAME BUT EACH OF THESE PERFORMERS, THEY KNOW WHO THEY ARE. THEY'RE COMFORTABLE IN THEIR OWN SKIN. AND LET THE CHIPS FALL WHERE THEY MAY. SO I THOUGHT THAT WAS REALLY REFRESHING. >> IT SOUNDS LIKE AN AWESOME PERFORMANCE THAT YOU SPENT A LOT OF TIME REPORTING ON ROBERT RUSSIAN BERKS CONNECTION WITH THE ONE 100TH ANNIVERSARY OF HIS BIRTH LAST OCTOBER. WE RECENTLY OF LEARNED ABOUT THE SALE OF HIS PROPERTY. HAVE YOU BEEN FOLLOWING THAT AND WHAT WOULD BE THE UPDATE THAT YOU COULD SHARE? >> YEAH, I HAVE SO ON MARCH 31ST. THE PARTNERSHIP THAT OWNS SOUTH SEAS RESORT ANNOUNCED THAT THEY HAVE ACTUALLY PURCHASED THE 22 ACRE COMPOUND THAT RAUSCHENBERG ON DON KEPT AVA. IT'S IT'S REALLY NOT THE NEWS THAT THE SANIBEL CAPTIVA CONSERVATION FOUNDATION ARE A LOT OF THE PACK THERE. THE RESIDENTS OF THE ISLANDS WANTED TO HEAR. AND THE SALE SEEMS A LITTLE INCONSISTENT WITH THE BOB RAUSCHENBERG EFFORTS DURING HIS LIFETIME TO BLOCK SOUTH SEAS FROM DEVELOPING ANY MORE OF THE ISLAND. BUT APPARENTLY BOB DID NOT PROVIDE OTHERWISE. AND SO HIS FOUNDATION WAS UNDER A FIDUCIARY OBLIGATION TO GET THE MOST THEY COULD FOR THE PROPERTY SO THAT THEY COULD SUPPORT SOME OF THEIR OTHER INITIATIVES. THEY SUPPORT A LOT OF ARTISTS CAUSES AND THEY ALSO PROVIDE GRANTS TO ORGANIZATIONS AND GROUPS THAT ARE WORKING TO REVERSE THE EFFECTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE. BUT THE CAP TO THE SOUTH SEAS GROUP, THEY HAVE INDICATED THAT THEY PLAN TO HONOR ROB ROBERT RAUSCHENBERG LEGACY. THEY'RE GOING TO DO THAT BY INCLUDING SOME KIND OF PART PROGRAMMING AND INCORPORATING SOME OF THE BUILDINGS INTO THE RESORT. AND THEY'RE ACTUALLY WORKING RIGHT NOW TO SEE HOW THAT'S GOING TO REALIZE AS THEY GO FORWARD. IT IS SUCH A BEAUTIFUL PIECE OF PROPERTY. >> TRULY IS. >> AND IT'S FINALLY APRIL. DOES THAT MEAN THAT THERE ARE FEWER THINGS GOING ON IN THE ART SCENE? >> TO THE CONTRARY THIS WEEK. >> THERE ARE 22 DIFFERENT SHOWS ON STAGE FROM MARCO ISLAND. THE SARASOTA. >> 3 NEW SHOWS ARE OPENING. THERE'S BIRTHDAY CANDLES THAT OPENS AT FLORIDA STUDIO THEATRE IN SARASOTA DOWN AT THE NAPLES PLAYERS. IT'S A PIECE OF MY HEART. AND AT THE LABORATORY THEATER, FLORIDA IN DOWNTOWN FORT MYERS. THEY'RE OPENING JULIUS CAESAR. SO WE WERE THERE THIS PAST SUNDAY AT THEIR DRESS REHEARSAL TO SEE THE MEASURES THAT THEY'RE TAKING IN ORDER TO MODERNIZE JULIUS CAESAR IN ORDER TO MAKE IT MORE APPEALING TO A BROADER DEMOGRAPHIC, INCLUDING TRADING, TOLD US THANKS TO EFFORTS LIKE THIS LIKE IT. SO WHEN WE TAKE A LOOK. >> I KNOW NOT ONLY WAS IT A. WELL THAT LOVE. >> MOST OF US HAD TO READ SHAKESPEARE IN HIGH SCHOOL. AFTER JUST LARGE HAD TO EVEN THOUGH HE WENT TO TRADE SCHOOL FOR PLUMBING. >> I THOUGHT SHAKESPEARE WAS THE MOST UNDERSTANDABLE THING THAT I WOULD EVER. READ OR TRY TO ATTEMPT TO WATCH. THE LEONARDO DICAPRIO FROM YOUNG JULIA. ROMEO AND JULIET SKEWS ME WAS ENTERTAINING, BUT I CAN UNDERSTAND ANY OF IT. >> SINCE THEN HE'S GONE ON TO PLAY COUNT ORSINO IN 12TH NIGHT. THE MONSTER CALIBAN AND THE TEMPEST. AND NOW HE PLAYS MARC ANTHONY AND LAB. THERE'S PRODUCTION OF JULIUS CAESAR. SO WHAT CHANGED? >> I HAD SENIOR ENGLISH AND HAD THE MOST AWESOME TEACHER EVER. AND THE RED. STARTING WITH THAT SUPERSTITIOUS MCBATH. AND FELL IN LOVE WITH IT. I HAD NO IDEA AT THAT POINT THAT I WHAT ARE COULD BECOME AN ACTOR. BUT I WAS CHALLENGE WITH LEARNING TOMORROW TOMORROW, TOMORROW MONOLOGUE AND ALI DID IT IN LIKE A NIGHT. AND HELD ON TO THAT FOR YEARS UNTIL I TURNED ABOUT 30 32 WHEN ACTUALLY GOT IN THE THEATER ACTUALLY JUST ABOUT 10 YEARS AGO. IN OTHER WORDS. >> HE WENT FROM PASSIVELY READING TO ACTIVELY PROMOTING THE WORDS APPEARING ON THE PAGE MINDED AIRPLANES, BRUTUS IN JULIUS CAESAR. HE SAYS IT'S THE ACTING TO TRANSFORM SHAKESPEARE'S LANGUAGE INTO WHAT AUDIENCES CAN READILY UNDERSTAND WHEN THEY SEE THE PERFORMANCE ON STAGE. >> YOU KNOW, A LOT OF PEOPLE TALK ABOUT ALL OF SHAKESPEARE'S HARD TO UNDERSTAND. WHILE THAT IS TRUE, PERHAPS IF YOU'RE READING IT, YOU KNOW, THE MORE FOR THE ACTORS PERSPECTIVE, WE STUDY IT. WE DIGEST IT. WE DISSECT IT. AND THEN WE TAKE THE FEELINGS AND EMOTIONS BEING A. IN THAT SCENE AND PRESENT IT. SO WATCHING IT AND READING IT ARE 2 VERY, VERY DIFFERENT THINGS TO MAKE. JULIUS CAESAR EVEN MORE UNDERSTANDABLE. >> LAB THEATER HAS MODERNIZED SETTING MOVING IN FROM ANCIENT ROME TO PRESENT DAY, REDUCE THE CAST FROM 27 TO 9 ACTORS. SHORTEN THE PLAY TO A TAD OVER 90 MINUTES AND PLACED IT IN THE CONTEXT OF A RADIO SHOW BROADCAST. SO I KNOW ALEX AND WORKED REALLY HARD OR DIRECTORS HAVE WORKED A BRIDGING AT KEEPING THE GOOD STUFF AND THAT. >> THE FAMOUS SPEECHES. >> ONE SUCH SPEECHES, PORTIONS RELAY DOUBLE MONOLOGUE IMPLORING HER HUSBAND, BRUTUS FOR SURE. THE SECRET THAT'S TROUBLING HIM, NAMELY HIS CONSPIRACY TO MURDER SEASON. >> BUT >> IT'S MORE THAN I KIND OF CLASSIC SPEECHES THAT RENDER SHAKESPEARE RELEVANT MORE THAN 400 YEARS AFTER HIS DEATH. CHARLIE SANDERS, WHO PLACES ARE IN THE LAB PRODUCTION SAYS IT'S THE BARD'S INSIGHTS INTO HUMAN NATURE AND INTERPERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS. >> JUST BECAUSE PEOPLE TELL YOU SOMETHING DOESN'T MEAN THEY HAVE YOUR BEST INTEREST AT HEART, WHICH IS A FATAL FLAW. THAT TEASER HAS BECAUSE HE LIKES WATERS OR SHE LIKES LETTERS AND ULTIMATELY LEADS TO THEIR DEMISE. AND THAT'S SOMETHING YOU SHOULD TAKE TO THE REAL WORLD AS WELL. JUST BECAUSE PEOPLE TELL YOU WHAT YOU WANT TO HEAR, THAT DOESN'T MEAN THEY HAVE YOUR BEST INTEREST AT HEART. >> ONE PHENOMENON THAT SHAKESPEARE KNEW WELL AND EXPLORED OFTEN IS MANIPULATION. AND JULIUS CAESAR, MARC ANTHONY MANIPULATES BRUCE AND HIS CO-CONSPIRATORS, THEN WHIPS UP THE MASSES TO AVENGE CAESAR'S MURDER. >> YOU REALLY LOOK AT WHAT'S GOING ON. IT'S PRETTY SIMPLE TO SEE THAT. PEOPLE ARE EASILY MANIPULATED AND YOU REALLY NEED TO KNOW YOURSELF KNOW YOUR OWN. IDEAS AND STANDARDS AND DON'T LISTEN TO THE MEDIA. PEOPLE ARE ALWAYS GOING TO TRY TO INFLUENCE YOU TO DO. TO WHAT THEY SEE FIT WORSHIP, WHO THEY WILL YOU? THEY WANT YOU TO WORSHIP. FOLLOW WHO? THEY WANT TO FOLLOW. >> JULIUS CAESAR IS ON STAGE AT THE LABORATORY THEYR'E FLORIDA THROUGH APRIL. 26. FROM WGCU