Chesapeake Shakespeare Company's atmospheric production of 'Julius Caesar' runs “In-The-Ruins” at the Patapsco Female Institute Historic Park in Ellicott City, Maryland, through Sunday, July 20. Photo by Kiirstn Pagan Photography

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One does not have to be a Shakespeare fan to know the tragic tale of Julius Caesar. The would-be emperor failed to beware the Ides of March and was felled by members of the Roman Senate after uttering the famed line, “Et tu, Brute?”

Interestingly, the play’s titular character has, in fact, a rather small role in this production presented by the Chesapeake Shakespeare Company “In-The-Ruins,” at the Patapsco Female Institute Historic Park in Ellicott City, Maryland. The true focus of the play are the characters of Marcus Brutus, Caia Cassius and Mark Antony, played by Jose O. Guzman, Laura Artesi and Gabriel Alejandro, who bring considerable energy and talent to their complex roles.

The players bold, in tunics trimmed with pride,
Did strut upon the boards with noble grace.
Their tongues did dance where rhetoric doth bide,
Each line well-placed, each passion in its place.

Laurels aplenty to director Marcus Kyd, who instills in this fine ensemble cast a sprightly pace, tinged with modern inflection and tasty bits of humor to provide relief from the weight of plots and political intrigue.

Guzman shines as the conflicted Brutus, who is torn between his affection for Caesar (DeJeanette Horne) and his desire to keep Rome a republic. The play is most engaging when Brutus sides and spars with Artesi’s Cassius, who is more direct in expressing her desire for Caesar’s downfall, serving as a whetstone to Brutus’ blade by urging him and their followers to the final bloody act on the Roman Senate floor.

Alejandro uses his muscled physique to his advantage as the warrior and obedient vassal of Caesar, focusing the audience’s attention with the famous line, “Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears!”

The supporting actors, Gary DuBreuil, Sandy Borrero, Molly Moores and Kate Forton, do yeoman’s service in their multiple roles, switching seamlessly between three characters. Forton scored laughs as the spooky sibyl, and Borrero’s heart-torn Portia, as Brutus’ wife, expresses her pain and fear in voice, body and spirit.

Excellent choreography

Fight director and dance/movement choreographer Lorraine Ressegger Slone manages to keep the actors on their toes. They never seem to stop moving, producing a sense of urgency so befitting this play which is, after all, about revolution. Caesar’s death scene — well played by Horne — could fall into farce, but it’s carried out well as one character after another drives each dagger home.

The stage, though modest, served as grand parade:
With torch and steel, the Forum came to life.
A chorus cloaked in shadows lent its aid
To murmur fate and whisper of the strife.

Watching Shakespeare come alive outdoors gives this play a greater veracity than a typical stage-with-curtain production. The Ellicott City site’s weathered stone, accentuated with faux stone lion statues, drums and banners of blue and gold, provides a dramatic setting for Shakespeare’s tragedy.

Like the play’s soothsayer, though, I bid thee warning. While the outdoors adds much to this production, it can interfere as well. The woeful whistle of a passing locomotive does little to keep one’s mind in ancient Rome. Further, as was the case in summertime, rain can bring the play to a sudden close.

That being said, get thee to the Ruins to see this play, for truly it will make your day.

The Chesapeake Shakespeare Company’s production of Julius Caesar continues now through July 20. Performances begin at 7:30 p.m. on Thursdays, 8 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, and 6 p.m. on Sundays. Kids get in free, and guests are encouraged to bring picnics or reserve a table. Adult tickets start at $50. For tickets, visit ChesapeakeShakespeare.com or call (410) 244-8570.