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The Bard's Lasses

What happens when Julius Caesar, Brutus, their friends, Romans and countrymen are all women? British director Phyllida Lloyd decided to find out by staging an all-female version of the Shakespeare play beginning this month at London's Donmar Warehouse.

The project, Ms. Lloyd says, is an "experiment to see what happens when you have women's voices in these roles." It's not often, after all, that a woman launches civil war with the vicious declaration of revenge: "Cry 'Havoc,' and let slip the dogs of war."

SHE CAME, SHE SAW: The cast of 'Julius Caesar,' rehearses. ENLARGE
SHE CAME, SHE SAW: The cast of 'Julius Caesar,' rehearses. Helen Maybanks

Casting Shakespeare plays with all women is not new, but it is rare, especially when compared with the number of all-male casts, which are an attempt to return to the conventions of Shakespeare's day. Currently in London, two all-male productions—"Richard III" and "Twelfth Night"—that began at Shakespeare's Globe have moved to the West End. Tony Award-winning actor Mark Rylance takes on the title role of "Richard III" and also the female role of Olivia in "Twelfth Night." Meanwhile, the all-male U.K.-based Shakespeare company Propeller is touring "Twelfth Night" and "The Taming of the Shrew," with stops in Ann Arbor, Mich., and Minneapolis.

"There is a tradition of all-male casts," said Ms. Lloyd, director of "The Iron Lady." "And we are breaking that model. It will be seen as provocative in a way."

For audiences, an all-female cast can introduce totally new perspectives on the play. Shakespeare's political dramas reflect historical figures, and the gender roles tend to be sharply split: Women are domestic, while men are public figures. In "Julius Caesar," the dialogue associates women with weakness. Says one general: "And we are govern'd with our mothers' spirits; Our yoke and sufferance show us womanish."

"To these characters," said Ms. Lloyd, "the idea of being 'womanish' is a catastrophe."

Mark Rylance as Olivia in 'Twelfth Night.' ENLARGE
Mark Rylance as Olivia in 'Twelfth Night.' John Tramper

Giving new meaning to such lines is at the core of her experiment. But the intent is also to give classically trained actresses the opportunity to stretch into great characters beyond Juliet when they're young—and Lady Macbeth or Gertrude (Hamlet's mother) when they are senior.

By expanding the roles and interpretations, theater artists are taking the risks necessary to move the art form forward, says University of Notre Dame professor Peter Holland: "It's about saying, 'Here are the great roles in world drama, and why shouldn't we explore new ways of playing them?' You start to rethink how gender and desire operates."

In some ways, that is also true of all-male productions. And the results are different in every play, said Tim Carroll, director of the Globe's two all-male productions. "In 'Twelfth Night,' it muddies the waters of sexuality," he said. "In 'Richard III,' it has the effect of watching Kabuki. It is as if you had them playing in masks."

The insights created by single-gender casting, however, are not frequent on this side of the pond. In New York, director Rebecca Patterson began producing her own all-female versions of Shakespeare's plays. "The Brits tend to be more adventurous," she said.

Safety, says Mr. Holland, tends to define American productions: "We need always to reawaken our interest in these plays."

Write to Pia Catton at

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