Category: The Front Page of Style

Posted on in Arlington Art, art, Art Collectors, Art curation, Art Teacher, fine-art, Fred Schnider Gallery of Art Arlington Virginia, The Front Page of Style, TheFrontPageofStyle.com, Tim Davis

Conversations

An Art Exhibition by Tim Davis

Tim Davis discusses his “Ashe” acrylic on plexiglass with a map of Virginia

Art exhibitions often ask questions of the visitors. If the artist is present, social conversations develop. However, silent conversations often take place while viewing a work of art. What is the artist’s message? How does the work inspire or inform?

Tim Davis’s exhibition, Conversations, at the Fred Schnider Gallery of Art in Arlington, Virginia opened with a gracious reception on January 10. Upon entering the gallery, the tone was set by presence. It was calm, intentional, and quietly confident.

Artist Tim Davis is the consummate host. Gracious, inviting, gentle, and generous, he was never too occupied to make introductions, whether to an ambassador and his wife or to a fellow artist. I felt among friends. There were no strangers.

Tim Davis introduced his friends – Left: David Young, the prominent retired U.S. Ambassador to Malawi, known for his extensive service and cultural integration Right: Krasi with Artvocate.us founder, Syahidah Osman and her son

Davis is a gentleman, an artist, a scholar, and a teacher. Those qualities quickly revealed themselves. Soft-spoken and attentive he was the ideal considerate host. He was generous with his time and friends, and sincerely curious about those in the room.

He engaged warmly with guests one-on-one, including my artist goddaughter, whom he met with kindness and interest. An aspiring 15-year-old artist and visual arts student at Duke Ellington School of the Arts, she felt comfortable to share her experience and ask substantive questions with Tim.  Art transcends age and their conversation was animated and inspiring. This spoke volumes about the man behind the work. His generosity is evident in the art itself.

Davis’s paintings invite lingering. They reward patience. The craftsmanship is intricate, layered, and deliberate. Sometimes gold ‘dust’ or subtle swirling elements add both depth and dimension. There is a conversational quality to the work – of endurance, hope, and transcendence. The paintings feel like thoughts recalled rather than scenes explained.

“The Golden Three” acrylic on canvas and plexiglass – inspired by a black and white photo

One painting, “The Golden Three,” tells a story of an old black and white photograph brought to life in color.  The image of the three boys standing at a wall captured this quality beautifully. The work carries a sense of intimacy and timelessness. One of the boys, the one with the red cap, is Davis’s son. The gold dusting and soft movement within the piece lend memory and delight. It is as though the moment exists somewhere between recollection and imagination. It does not insist on meaning. It allows it.

“Do You See US?” Acrylic on Plexiglass (reverse painting)

Another work, “Do You See Us?”, featuring figures set against the Chicago skyline and the lake, resonated deeply with several viewers. The piece acknowledges a universal human truth: the desire to be seen and heard. The struggle is real.  Davis addresses it with empathy.

“Dedicated to ‘Q’ ” – mixed media on plexiglass

Throughout the evening, the atmosphere mirrored the work: thoughtful, respectful, and engaged. The gallery provided a gracious setting for conversation, and the founders’ support of Davis’s work was evident in the care taken with both installation and hospitality. It was an experience designed to connect.

Gallery curator, David Carlson, added depth and context to the exhibition by introducing the gallery’s founder’s vision and mission: “The mission of the Fred Schnider Gallery of Art is to bring together artists of all mediums and styles to showcase their work to Arlington, Virginia and its surrounding communities. We celebrate the unique connection that art can create among friends and strangers alike.”

If the exhibition draws you in, the conversation continues. The exhibition is on display until February 28.

Tim Davis will present an ‘Artist Talk’ on February 7 at the Fred Schnider Gallery of Art. It promises to be an extension of what the exhibition offers: reflection, presence, and the opportunity to experience life through the artist’s eyes.

Left: “Lady in Yellow” mixed media acrylic on plexi and wood Center: (top) “Back to Africa” mixed media, acrylic on plexi on wood (bottom) “On the Front Line #2” acrylic on plexi. Left: “Waiting No. #2” Mixed media, acrylic on canvas and and plexi.

Photo Credits: Krasi Henkel

Art: Tim Davis at Fred Schnider Gallery of Art, Arlington, VA.

Posted on in Alexandria Fine Art, Alexandria, Virginia, art, Art Collectors, Art curation, Art in Old Town Alexandria, Art Opening, Art Students, Art Teacher, Artistic Leadership, Fred Schnider Gallery of Art, lifestyle, Multi media art, The Front Page of Style, Tim Davis Art, Torpedo Factory, Washington D.C.. arts

Just Spend a Little Time Here

Artist Tim Davis Shares His Art

Unlocking curiosity

The gallery light reflected from a bright white line of the architectural painting on the right side of the gallery wall. I caught that light in the corner of my eye while walking past several closed galleries in the Torpedo Factory in Alexandria, Virginia. As if leading me into the studio, the light guided me to the real work of art where I was fortunate to meet the artist – Tim Davis.

Tim’s studio illuminated art. From fresh beginnings to fully completed pieces available for sale. The piece that brought me in was an architectural image with lines and perspective that guided the viewer down hallways and into rooms. Something about the piece spoke to me and encouraged my curiosity.

Versatility in medium combined with the curiosity of ‘why not,’ presents thoughtful innovation

Tim Davis welcomed me to his gallery and studio. More than even the paintings themselves, he exhibited a kindness, gentleness, and genuine hospitality that captured my spirit. We started a conversation that meandered throughout the studio. He showed me his creative works as well as some works in progress. I observed his brushes, paints, supplies, and a preparatory canvas. I felt as though I was viewing something sacred – the tools of creativity and a man’s spirit.

The more we spoke, the more I wanted to know. I took some photos which, in reflection, capture the ease with which the work and the man flowed. He shared how he repurposed drawers into works of art. He explained that his work is diverse and that he enjoys capturing and disclosing ideas.

The prevailing theme of his work is space and statement. Or is that statement with space? His interiors paintings guide and lead. His paintings of people beckon friendship and collectiveness. While the humans are ‘faceless,’ their energy is palpable. I easily imagined hearing the trumpets, clarinet, and saxophone of the jazz players. They were in mid-measure and immersed in their music.

“In the pocket.” Musicians playing perfectly in time with a strong, locked-in groove.

Asked why he painted his subjects without faces, Tim explained that he wants to bring the soul and spirit of the subject to the viewer to discover the context of narrative. He allows the viewer to project and infer. He told me that, “Blue is hopeful, gold is royal, clear space brings openness and thoughtfulness.”

The artist and the man are one and the same. Tim’s persona is expression through art. He taught art for 38 years. The last school where he taught was Thomas Jefferson School in Alexandria, Virginia. He spent years teaching, inspiring, and giving back to future generations. He shared that his high school art teacher saw something in him and took him “in hand to develop.” Tim is the youngest in his family and the only one to go to college in his family.  His instructor saw promise. Tim told me that, “He pushed me to say what I needed to say,”

Golden Faces

Born in Chicago, Tim observed and endured division, separation, and segregation. He explained that Chicago was designed by Mayor Daley into communities – Italian, Polish, Black, Hispanic, and so forth. While very young, Tim instinctively knew, “This is wrong.” This shaped his beliefs and attitude about separation. His art ‘gives voice to the voiceless.’ His figures do not need faces to breathe – they allow their viewers to see with their hearts and experience unity of spirit.  His ambition for his art is to bring awareness to the Black community – to become a beacon of art in a large scope – to demonstrate that connectivity is a key to understanding.  He brings collectors together because art is important in place and space.

Tim Davis’ credentials are deep both academically and professionally. To capture the full breadth of his credentials, a visit to his website will be worth your time.  His exhibitions and accomplishments are extensive.  His art resides in collectors’ offices and homes and has been exhibited in prestigious galleries.

Tim Davis standing before his paintings of Oxen Hill Park for his commission for Cedar Hill Regional Medical Center, 2025 – Photo by: Roy Lewis

Davis began his art journey as a sculptor with intentions of working with bronze. He loved working with form and found it more important than realism. Sculpture’s demand for large spaces caused him to evolve to alternative media.

As an instructor, Tim regularly worked in varieties of media from clay to collage, from pastels to oils, from sketching to charcoals, and from 3-D to canvas. He loved the versatility of teaching alternate media to his students. Through this diversity, he has captured and inspired students in art to pursue their media passions.

With his main studio in the Torpedo Factory, he and his work are on constant exhibit to visitors. Asked how he feels about the steady stream of eyes and potential questions, Tim loves the engagement. He explained that some people walk by, others look in the window, and others step inside. He loves visitors to spend some time – whether they just look or engage with him. He told me, “As artists, we hope they just spend a little time here.” As a teacher, he relishes the opportunity to ‘teach and answer questions.”

“The process” described by Tim Davis

Tim generously shared his artistic process with me. He told me that he can look at a blank canvas for days and weeks. He likes to work from photographs that he often captures while sitting in a park or walking along the Potomac River. He looks at colors and shapes. He sketches, then at a moment – he steps into his craft – and becomes enveloped into the flow of his work. He views his research to be key for his process. Trees, water, even people play important roles in his work.

Architectural geometry flows to ideas and expression

The Torpedo Factory is in Old Town Alexandria. The area is rich in American history, and offers endless water, river, and city views. Tim loves to walk along the banks of the Potomac and enjoys many of the area’s good restaurants. He values his time in the environment as rich sources for ideas and inspiration.

Tim Davis is the featured artist at a new exhibition, ‘Conversations,’ at the Fred Schnider Gallery of Art in Arlington Virginia. The opening reception will be on January 10, 2026, from 5:00-8:00 PM. The exhibition runs through February 28.

Posted on in Benny Southstreet, Big Julie, Broadway Musical, Damon Runyon, General Matilda B. Cartwright, Guys and Dolls, Harry the Horse, Joey Baltimore, Krasi Henkel, lifestyle, Lt. Brannigan, Miss Adelaide, Musical Theater, Nathan Detroit, New York City, Nicely Nicely, Salvation Army, Sarah Brown, Shakespeare Theater, Shakespeare Theater Company, SimonGodwin, Sky Masterson, The Front Page of Style, Theater, Times Square

Broadway’s Gamblers Roll the Dice at the Shakespeare Theatre:

There was dancing in the Lobby!

Hayley Podschun in Guys and Dolls at Shakespeare Theatre Company. Photo by Teresa Castracane Photography.

Guys and Dolls – the quintessential feel-good play – hopeful, energetic; dynamic. The performance inspired patrons to dance with big smiles on their faces.

From a technical and performance perspective, the play lived up to its Broadway roots. In many ways it surpassed them. On my drive home, I turned on the Broadway cast soundtrack.  Accounting for recording and broadcast quality, its energy and enthusiasm did not compete with STC. Well done!

Top left – bottom: The cast of Guys and Dolls at Shakespeare Theatre Company. Photo by Teresa Castracane Photography. Lawrence Redmond, John Syger, Julie Benko, Jimena Flores Sanchez, and Katherine Riddle in Guys and Dolls at Shakespeare Theatre Company. Photo by Teresa Castracane Photography. Calvin McCullough and Kyle Taylor Parker in Guys and Dolls at Shakespeare Theatre Company. Photo by Teresa Castracane Photography. The cast of Guys and Dolls at Shakespeare Theatre Company. Photo by Teresa Castracane Photography.

After months of attending powerful productions at the Shakespeare Theatre Company, I found myself at a Preview that offered something refreshingly different. The company was opening Guys and Dolls at Harman Hall. The beloved American musical is presented here with remarkable vibrancy. I was fortunate to see it before the official opening, catching the energy of a nearly sold-out house. It opened to such acclaim and demand that four additional performances were added.

This is not critique. This is anticipation. This is the excitement building toward what promises to be a joyful and spirited theatrical experience, perfect for the season of hope and joy. The live music set outside the picture windows of the Salvation Army, with the perfectly attired band leader, created the ideal atmosphere for the memorable performance.

The artistic team behind this production is impressive. Director Francesca Zambello, Artistic Director of Washington National Opera, brings operatic sensibilities to Damon Runyon’s stylized world. Choreographer Joshua Bergasse, whose Broadway credits include On the Town, delivers legitimate musical theater dancing that feels both classic and fresh. STC continues to expand its presentation range while maintaining its exacting artistic standards, thanks in great part to the vision of Artistic Director, Simon Godwin.

Top Left to Bottom: Julie Benko in Guys and Dolls at Shakespeare Theatre Company. Photo by Teresa Castracane Photography. Hayley Podschun in Guys and Dolls at Shakespeare Theatre Company. Photo by Teresa Castracane Photography. Nick Alvino, Tommy Gedrich, and the cast of Guys and Dolls at Shakespeare Theatre Company. Photo by Teresa Castracane Photography. The cast of Guys and Dolls

What makes Guys and Dolls endlessly enjoyable is its ‘plausible relatability’ in the world it creates – the gamblers, the nightclubs, the dance scenes, the romance, and the comedic timing that lands perfectly again and again. There are no ‘bad guys.’ Some just had a few ‘bad habits.’ Damon Runyon’s language and characters form a theatrical universe that is playful, distinct, and instantly recognizable. Frank Loesser understood this when he composed the score in 1950. He did not try to naturalize Runyon’s style; he amplified it. He gave it music, and that music carries the story with humor, color, and emotional lift.

Top Left to Bottom Right: Hayley Podschun and Julie Benko in Guys and Dolls at Shakespeare Theatre Company. Photo by Teresa Castracane Photography. Jacob Dickey and Julie Benko in Guys and Dolls at Shakespeare Theatre Company. Photo by Teresa Castracane Photography. Hayley Podschun and Rob Colletti in Guys and Dolls at Shakespeare Theatre Company. Photo by Teresa Castracane Photography. Jacob Dickey and Julie Benko in Guys and Dolls at Shakespeare Theatre Company. Photo by Teresa Castracane Photography.

At Harman Hall, I experienced this world take shape. Sarah Brown was uncompromising, Sky Masterson made impossible bets, Nathan Detroit ran the oldest established permanent floating crap game in New York, and Miss Adelaide developed psychosomatic colds from fourteen years of broken marriage promises. It was all there: the charm, the humor, the rhythm, the dancing, the romance, and the fun. The performance quality of acting, singing, and dancing was exceptional. See for yourself –  buy your tickets and make it a holiday event for your family. You too can walk out with a big smile.

Luck be a Lady Tonight – Roll the Dice!

Left: Graciela Rey, Aria Christina Evans, Hayley Podschun, Jessie Peltier, and Jimena Flores Sanchez in Guys and Dolls at Shakespeare Theatre Company. Photo by Teresa Castracane Photography. Right: The cast of Guys and Dolls at Shakespeare Theatre Company. Photo by Teresa Castracane Photography.

Posted on in DC Art, DC Theater, Drama, Henrik Ibsen, Klein Theater, lifestyle, ModernDrama, MustSeeTheatre, PsychologicalRealism, RarePerformance, Shakespeare Theater Company, SimonGodwin, The Front Page of Style, The Wild Duck, Theater

The Wild Duck Soars Again

Ibsen’s Rarest Masterpiece Flies Through Moral Fog

Robert Stanton as Håkon Werle  and Mahira Kakkar as Mrs Sørby in The Wild Duck. Photo by Hollis King 

Looking for the garage exit elevator into Klein Theatre last Thursday evening, I met Angela Lee Gieras, Executive Director of Shakespeare Theatre Company, She accompanied me in the correct elevator to the main lobby where she introduced me to Artistic Director Simon Godwin. Shaking my hand, he offered quiet advice that stirred my curiosity,  “This might be the only and last time you will see this play in our lifetime.”

That alone should compel you to see Henrik Ibsen’s The Wild Duck before it closes November 16.

Unique and Complex

Henrik Ibsen (1828-1906), often called “the father of modern drama” and three-time Nobel Prize nominee, built his reputation on explosive social critiques—A Doll’s House, Ghosts, An Enemy of the People—plays that attacked the hypocrisies of 19th-century society. In The Wild Duck, considered by many to be his finest work, he turns his sharp eye inward. Here, he draws from his privileged Norwegian family. Ibsen created Gregers Werle, the idealistic crusader determined to expose truth at any cost. This was inspired by members of his own patrician class. He named his young duck-loving heroine, Hedvig, the same name as his grandmother.

The play is complex. Understanding the author’s circumstances, background, and character, helps hold the ‘color’ of the play. In The Wild Duck, Ibsen was not attacking society’s lies. He was attacking the idealism of his family and overeager reformers. The question is not whether we should seek truth, but whether forcing truth on others is salvation or destruction. That moral ambiguity is perhaps, why this masterpiece has been performed so rarely.

L. Alexander Hurt as Gregers Werle, Robert Stanton as Håkon Werle in The Wild Duck. Photo by Hollis King.  R. Alexander Hurt as Gregers Werle, Nick Westrate as Hjalmar Ekdal in The Wild Duck. Photo by Gerry Goodstein. 

Nothing Is As It Seems

Simon Godwin’s production, adapted by David Eldridge, opens with Victorian elegance—men in tails, ladies in ornate gowns, an elaborate dinner party. The set is bathed in shades of green. A small, grey-bearded man vanishes through a green door then reappears. He resembled a quintessential leprechaun though the play is set in Norway. He is the disgraced nature-loving Lieutenant who raises then hunts and shoots rabbits in his son’s loft.  His son has embarked on a mission to restore his father’s honor.

The production is punctuated by haunting musical interludes—Alexander Sovronsky performs arrangements of 19th-century Norwegian folk and classical music on viola, Hardanger fiddle, and langeleik. Like the narrators in Shakespeare’s plays, the music shifts between melodic reflection and foreboding darkness, guiding us through the play’s emotional terrain.

As Godwin notes in the program, Ibsen is asking something far more dangerous than honor: “In the battle for moral certainty, who is the casualty? What is the price of truth?”

L. Melanie Field as Gina Ekdal  Center: Maaike Laanstra-Corn as Hedvig R. Maaike Laanstra-Corn as Hedvig, Melanie Field as Gina Ekdal in The Wild Duck. Photos by Gerry Goodstein. 

The Typhoid Mary of Idealism

The wealthy idealist, Gregers Werle, ‘knows’ what is best for everyone. He spreads his convictions like contagion—what I describe as ‘Typhoid Mary’ in Victorian tails – delusional in his certainty that he is saving everyone by forcing them to face “truth.”

Ibsen was intimately familiar with this character. Ibsen belonged to Norway’s patrician elite, and The Wild Duck draws from his own family’s dynamics as they navigated the evolution of society. Gregers embodies the dangers of Ibsen’s own class—reformers who wield truth as a weapon.

What happens when someone appoints themselves the arbiter of others’ honesty? When does truth-telling become destruction? The answers are not simple. This is perhaps, why this play has been performed so rarely.

L: Alexander Hurt as Gregers Werle Photo by Hollis King  Center: Alexander Hurt as Gregers Werle, Nick Westrate as Hjalmar Ekdal Photo by Gerry Goodstein R: Maaike Laanstra-Corn as Hedvig, Melanie Field as Gina Ekdal, Alexander Hurt as Gregers Werle Photo by Hollis King 

Mental Gymnastics Required

The Wild Duck demands the audience’s full attention for which they are rewarded. Nick Westrate (recently in STC’s Frankenstein) and Melanie Field (the heartbreaking Sonya in STC’s Uncle Vanya) lead a flawless ensemble. Maaike Laanstra-Corn’s Hedvig, the young duck-loving girl, caught in the adults’ web of lies, delivers a performance that lingers long after the stage goes dark.  The 26-year-old Washington, DC native and Brown University graduate is an artist to watch.

I felt like a voyeur and a gossip throughout the play. I was the voyeur at that dinner party, wondering what came next. Then a gossip, observing the Ekdal household. It felt like I was overhearing through a parlor wall. It felt intimate, forbidden, yet addictive. I was inside their home, yet uninvited. My real estate mind went into calculation mode of the Ekdal house – how many rooms, how many square feet, how much were they asking for the rent of their spare room?

The audience was silent.  No one even cleared their throat. When the lights dimmed, and the play ended, the audience stood up in unison, applauding politely. The applause was respectful, reverent, and slightly haunted. We were processing.

L: Nick Westrate as Hjalmar Ekdal, Maaike Laanstra-Corn as Hedvig – Photo by Hollis King.  L: Melanie Field as Gina Ekdal, Nick Westrate as Hjalmar Ekdal – Photo by Gerry Goodstein 

Why You Should Go

The Wild Duck is not a feel-good play. It is a feel-smart play. If you want to wrestle with questions about truth and delusion that feel urgently relevant in 2025, when crusaders of all stripes claim absolute certainty about what is best for everyone—this is your play.

What makes this play essential is Ibsen’s unprecedented psychological depth and intricacy of character. He peels back layers of late 19th-century culture and morals with surgical precision, revealing not just what people said, but what they believed, feared, and concealed. Anton Chekhov, who considered Ibsen his favorite writer, adopted this pioneering focus on psychological realism—the exploration of ordinary lives with extraordinary depth. Chekhov developed his own distinctive style with greater emphasis on subtext and naturalistic dialogue, but the foundation was Ibsen’s radical insistence that theatre could reveal the human psyche with the intuition of a psychological case study.

If you were moved by Melanie Field’s Sonya in Uncle Vanya earlier this season, then you will appreciate the direct inspiration from Ibsen to Chekhov being honored by the Shakespeare Theater Company. Both playwrights understood that the most profound dramas unfold not in grand gestures, but in the quiet devastation of people confronting uncomfortable truths about themselves and the society that shaped them.

Ibsen meticulously controlled how his work was interpreted; writing detailed instructions to directors for The Wild Duck productions. This most personal of his plays deserves to be seen with the care Godwin has brought to it, even if just once. After exploring Ibsen’s background for this blog, I find myself compelled to return—to see with new eyes what I missed the first time, armed now with understanding of what the playwright was truly after.

L: Maaike Laanstra-Corn as Hedvig -Photo by Hollis King  R: Maaike Laanstra-Corn as Hedvig, David Patrick Kelly as Old Ekdal, Nick Westrate as Hjalmar Ekdal, Melanie Field as Gina Ekdal, Alexander Hurt as Gregers Werle – Photo by Gerry Goodstein 

The Wild Duck runs through November 16 at Klein Theatre. Tickets: ShakespeareTheatre.org or 202.547.1122

Posted on in Al Letson, Cultural Commentary, DC Theater, FolgerTheatre, Julius Caesar, JuliusX, lifestyle, Live Theater, Malcom X, Shakespear tragedy, Shakespeare, Shakespeare Adaptation, Shakespeare Plays, Shakespeare Theater, The Front Page of Style, The Tragedie of Julius Caesar, Theater

Julius X – A Triple Treat

Playwright Al Letson PC: Amir Arsalan Shamsabadi on Unsplash Julius X Played by Brandon Carter

Julius X was born from rejection. When Al Letson was not cast as Mark Antony in a Julius Caesar production because of race, he decided, “Screw it, I’m going to write my own.” This was not bravado. It was love. He had fallen for Mark Antony’s speech in 10th grade and read Malcolm X’s autobiography in 7th. Both stayed with him. Years later, he realized Julius Caesar’s arc fit almost perfectly with Malcolm X’s life. This is how a dyslexic kid who learned to read through comics, a flight attendant who competed in poetry slams across America, an award-winning journalist and Shakespearean, spent over two years creating what is now playing at the Folger Theatre through October 26. I discovered Al Letson through Julius X.

Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare is a popular high school literature topic. How it is studied and how Shakespeare is presented often affects students for a lifetime. In Letson’s case, Caesar spoke to him. To others, it was just something to get through to close a chapter on high school English. I too studied Julius Caesar in high school. After my beloved Shakespeare teacher’s drowning the prior summer, I was uninspired to seriously pursue the play, and my new teacher was marking time. All was not lost for me. I read Shakespeare’s entire canon in five months in honor of my inspirational teacher’s 50th anniversary of his drowning and published a blog about him and Shakespeare. That blog remains the most read of all of my blogs. Julius Caesar was, of course, reread. This time with real interest.

In preparing to see Julius X, I opened my books once again. Marjorie Garber’s essay in her book, Shakespeare After All, and Paul Cantor’s Shakespeare and Politics lectures on YouTube helped me prepare. I then researched the life of Malcolm X. As a child, I remember hearing my parents discussing his assassination on the day it happened. The parallels between the two men are remarkable. Yes, they were different, however, their passion, their vision, and their boldness are indisputable.

Al Letson so aptly married the two tragic heroes by meeting their arcs, their mission, their loyalty, and their fire. Having prepared, I was happy to feel like a participant rather than a spectator. I felt the rhythm of the verses, the drive of the characters, the commitment to community of the friends, and the loving fear of the wives. Sitting close to the stage, I saw facial expressions shift with each revelation – what performers call rubber faces, the ability to communicate entire thoughts through the smallest movement. The wives were remarkable: Julius’s wife in her impeccable teal suit with braid detailing, Portia animated and desperate, both showing love and intuition that their husbands would not, could not, hear. Julius X is fast paced. There is no time to wallow or worry. Things happen quickly, and while the interpretation is impressive and surprising, being prepared was key to my Julius X journey.  I was enthralled rather than bewildered.

Harlem of the 1960s was not Rome. Rome was regal, authoritative, imperial. But Harlem was home—brownstones and street corners, community and belonging. Its residents cannot live in Harlem without loving it. Harlem was Malcolm X’s ‘Rome.’  It was intimate, not monumental. It was his world. He had a burning passion. He wanted more for himself, his family, and his people. A militant who reconsidered his path but never abandoned his passion posed a threat to his supporters. The key? Ambition.

Caesar is a pivotal character. He has been compared to Alexander the Great by Plutarch in his biographies, Parallel Lives, in approximately 110 AD, to being featured by Shakespeare in the Tragedy of Julius Caesar in 1599, to being analyzed by Paul Cantor in the 21st century, juxtaposing him between Coriolanus and Antony and Cleopatra, and now, to being reimagined as Julius X by Letson in the 2020s. Almost 2000 years have passed. There is nothing new under the sun. Ambition is considered threatening by those with opposing vision or small thinking.

Julius X is entertaining, thought provoking, classic, and unapologetically bold. Playing through October 26 at the Folger Theatre, it rewards preparation and challenges assumptions. Good that Letson was not pigeonholed as Mark Antony. You can buy tickets now.

All photo credits: Erika Nizborski and Brittany Diliberto.