A Trifecta of Love for Faith, Community, and Brotherhood

“This is not the story you know, but somewhere in-between,” begins Julius X: A Re-envisioning of The Tragedy of Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare. Written by podcast host, writer, and journalist Al Letson, this bold new play fuses the political tensions of Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar with the final days of Malcolm X’s life.

Julius X, directed by Nicole Brewer, is onstage September 23–October 26, 2025, at Folger Theatre.

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DC-based director Nicole Brewer describes the play as a layered exploration of interpersonal relationships and belief systems, with Black men’s love at the center of the story: love for faith, for community, and for each other. “This is what these men are willing to die for,” Brewer explains. The tension in this trifecta becomes tragic when “there’s misalignment between what a character is prioritizing.

She likens the character of Brutus to a pinball—bouncing between duty, spiritual conviction, and his principles—and his wife, Portia, as “​​this kind of barometer of purity, a litmus test of truth.”

Brewer emphasizes the musicality of Letson’s text, noting that the heartbeat-like rhythms coupled with the deeply drawn characters creates a “concentration of what it means to be human.” Letson’s script is as poetic as it is poignant, merging the cadence of Shakespearean verse with the rhythms of spoken word poetry, interwoven with passages from Malcolm X’s famous speeches. Brewer will direct the onstage ensemble to create soundscapes that support the tension and movement of the story.

Drawing from her anti-racist, collectivist directing style, Brewer is attuned to the challenges of portraying these historical figures. Rereading The Autobiography of Malcolm X in preparation, she has been drawn to the condition of his spiritual development while he was incarcerated: “When Malcolm X had a chance to slow down, albeit in terrible conditions, he started to feed his soul. He starts to feed his mind and from there, the power that he wields becomes larger than life.” Brewer wishes to depict these lionized leaders as fully human rather than symbolic figures.

The play doesn’t shy away from addressing the problems of patriarchy either; Letson has revised Shakespeare’s text to give women more voice and space. Brewer notes that Julius X’s wife Calpurnia, in particular, is given some of the most powerful, humanizing lines at the end of the play.

Asked why the play feels relevant now, Brewer points to the play’s “medicinal value.” In her view, Julius X invites us to pause and reflect on where our communities, our cities, our country are headed, how our connections have been weakened and our divides strengthened. She believes the play raises these pressing questions: “Where have we been reticent in taking action, only to find ourselves facing more extreme outcomes later? Where have we lost trust and faith in each other?”