The World Premiere Of M. Hatten's JULIUS: HARLEM'S CAESAR Comes to Tier5

After a sold-out staged reading presentation at The Tank in October 2023, Tier5 will present a full production of M. Hatten's reinterpretation of Shakespeare's political thriller, JULIUS: HARLEM'S CAESAR.

Tier5 will present the world premiere production of M. Hatten's Julius: Harlem's Caesar, marking the playwright's NYC debut. The production will take place at El Barrio's ArtSpace PS 109 and run from Thursday, March 7th through Sunday, March 17th, 2024.

The Harlem of the 1930s was a place of hustle, bustle, and black magic at its finest. Once Henry Pompey, a local bootlegger, is murdered, Julius Baptiste is catapulted as his replacement. A year later, as he sets to open the first Black and queer supper club, all of Harlem is thrown into a frenzied civil war as many, who once followed Julius, question his ambitions, his sexuality, and what it means to be a Black man in a white man's world.

The show will run Thursdays and Fridays at 7pm, Saturdays at 2pm and 7pm, and Sundays at 2pm, for 10 performances. All performances take place at El Barrio's ArtSpace PS109, located at 215 E 99th St, New York, NY 10029.

Tickets on sale now, and be available through Tier5's website: Tier5TheatreCompany.com.

Julius: Harlem's Caesar is written and co-directed by M. Hatten, who is making his NYC playwright and directorial debut. M has previously been seen on the Tier5 stage in The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (Guardian of the Gates), The Secret Garden (Ben Weatherstaff), and Legend of the Chalk Circle (The Adjutant). His original one-act, "Gretel & Hansel," was featured in Tier5's virtual new play festival, Fairytales From Home.

Joining M. Hatten as co-director for the production is Maya Jeyam, whose previous Tier5 credits include The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (Dorothy Gale), The Secret Garden (Mrs. Medlock), and Legend of the Chalk Circle (Governor's Wife u/s). Maya was the stage manager for the staged reading iteration of Julius: Harlem's Caesar at The Tank.

The cast will feature PrinceAnthony Hall as Julius 'Caesar' Baptiste, our Caesar of the Harlem Renaissance, as well as Christopher W. Clayton as Bruce Freeman, the play's take on the tragic Brutus. Le'Asha Julius joins as the role of Antoinette 'Toni' St. Marks, a new and fresh take on Mark Antony, and Anaela Lia as Phaedra Freeman, a version of Portia/">Portia.

Completing the cast is: Jameal Bailey, Camron Chapple, Gil Charleston, Aubree Chanel Dixon, Raekwon Fuller, LeVane Harrington, Nancy Umba, and Kenneth Laboy Vazquez.

Understudies: Mario C. Brown, Da'Mar Levi, and Virginia Muturi

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