Senator Sidney Shaw? One of Lexington's Most Revered Actors talks about his role Caligula

Sidney Shaw is a familiar face in Lexington's theatre scene, and folks usually line up to watch him perform.  So the crowds ought to be curious to know he is taking part in the already-acclaimed production of CALIGULA at Balagula Theatre this week and next.  His role? "My role is The Old Senator. This is an old guy who really knows how to survive. His days as senator go back to Julius Caesar and he has out lasted over 40 years of Roman Emperors."

"The fun part was just playing Caligula's games. He does outrageous things just to get a rise out of people. The trick is to not react in the way that he thinks that you will. That makes your response, in his mind, ordinary. Ordinary comes with consequences."

Is there a moral to the story, or a story to the moral -- and how does that translate to being relevant for today's audiences? Shaw says, "Tip O'Neill, former Speaker of the the House, once said that all politics is local. He could have also said that for a long, long time politics have revolved around taxes, family values and the role of goverment in our lives.  This play is loaded with those ideas. Isn't there an election in November?"

Sidney admits his favorite scene is where he becomes a bit of a turncoat with a heart. "The scene I enjoy the most is when the Old Senator breaks ranks wth the Advisory Committee and tries to tell Caligula about the conspiracy to kill him. I don't want to give too much away, but the Old Senator survives."

see you at the show,
peace,
kimmy