Hail, Tupac!
TSU unveils new, unusual hip-hop approach to Shakespeare
The place is Washington, D.C., where the Capitol is an exclusive nightclub ruled by a power-laden despot. He’s acclaimed and loved by his people, but he’s also surrounded by murderous conspirators who feel otherwise—that too much concentrated power can only harm the city. Assassination begets chaos, and a huge internal struggle among important players commences.
This week only, Tennessee State University unveils a new, unusual and possibly quite intriguing twist on Shakespeare’s timeless classic, Julius Caesar. TSU Communications Department instructor Kimberley LaMarque will direct student performers in her own modern adaptation, as hip-hop culture infuses the Bard’s tale of power and jealousy.
“We wanted to set Shakespeare in a period that would be accessible to university students,” LaMarque says. Her first big decision, however, was deciding which martyred hip-hop legend would be Julius Caesar. Would it be The Notorious B.I.G., a.k.a. Biggie Smalls, a.k.a. Christopher G. Wallace (1973-1997)? Or Tupac Amaru Shakur (1971-1996)?
“We decided there was much more emotional commitment to Tupac,” LaMarque says. “The community was moved more by his death.”
From there, LaMarque projected that if Brutus was the true nobleman in the Bard’s original, then P. Diddy (a.k.a. Sean “Puffy” Combs) would be the analogous persona in the reconceived production. “We also got into cross-gender casting,” she says. “Cassius was jealous and had a desire to be loved. We saw these as strongly female qualities, hence the appearance of Lil’ Kim as the new persona there.” Finally, rapper DMX emerged as the logical choice to mirror the character of Marc Antony.
In the TSU cast, Fredrick Harris is Tupac, William D. Taylor is DMX, Goldie Bailey is Lil’ Kim and Jerry Kimball plays P. Diddy. Perhaps what will most challenge LaMarque’s cast of 39—17 actors plus 22 dancers—is hewing to the Shakespearean language while physically and vocally embracing a modern culture that seems light years away from ancient Rome.
“The challenge of Shakespeare’s language is making it your own,” says LaMarque. “But the basic rhythm of Shakespeare is iambic pentameter, and that is similar to the rhythmic pattern of rap. Our cast will effect the 'dip walk’ and otherwise embody their characters’ hip-hop personas. I’ve told them to relax and put the emphasis where it belongs.”
A variety of hip-hop tunes will be utilized for the production’s background music.
“Julius Caesar is right for the times,” says LaMarque, who received support in the production from assistant director Barry Scott, one of Nashville’s foremost theater artists. “It’s a great project in terms of relating to power and greed and government. It applies to us in the 'now.’ Setting it in the music world brings it home for us, but it also opens up Shakespeare. It allows us to see how viable Shakespeare and his themes are in the present day.”
The hip-hop Julius Caesar runs through Sunday Mar. 3 at Poag Auditorium on the TSU campus. Show times are 8 p.m. Thursday through Saturday and 3 p.m. Sunday. For tickets or information, call Ticketmaster at 255-9600 or TSU’s Communications Department at 963-7491.
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