A new theatre company has arrived on the Oxford scene with a stellar agenda at its core. Nova Theatre has been born out of the frustration that has come from the gender imbalance in theatre, with their first production being a gender-reversed version of Shakespeare's Julius Caesar. And it turns out to be a rather terrific idea that opens up the play to nuances and interpretations that may not have been accessible before. Certainly this is an exciting enough take on a much-performed play that it sets the company up as one to follow for their future shows.

There is probably a greater awareness of the basic set up of Caesar than other Shakespeare plays. The assassination of the Roman general by senators is ingrained to a degree in our collective cultural consciousness, from the Ides of March to 'Friends, Romans, Countrymen'. But there is more to the story here, with the play following the aftermath of these events through to the conclusion of a bloody civil war that would lay the foundations for the Roman Empire. This is the story of Brutus, loyal follower of Caesar, and the journey she goes on to betray the leader.

The production propels along at a terrific pace, aided by some subtle cuts that tighten the original script without losing its epic sweep or short-changing the beautiful language of the Bard's writing. There is a confidence to this production and a belief in the relationships at the play's core. This is aided by a tremendous ensemble who all feel impactful, displaying a clarity of language that means the audience never feels lost in proceedings. Laura King makes an imposing Caesar, brimming with self-belief, while Elizabeth Dobson finds the right balance of rage and sorrow that makes Brutus such a tragic character. But the two performances that linger after the play has concluded are Clare Denton's Cassius and Justine Malone's Mark Antony. Denton's Cassius feels fascinating approachable, stealthily winning the audience round to her side, while Malone practically steals the show with a sterling rendition of Antony's famed speeches. But it has to be said that the entire ensemble do justice to the principles that Nova Theatre is espousing.

The mark of the success of this production is that the gender of its performers quickly stops being something noticed. The skill and craft on display take over and sort of prove the whole point of the endeavour. Because why wouldn't you cast women in these roles if the outcome is great Shakespeare? Shakespeare that is exciting and relevant, as the writer's work needs to be. I must end this review applauding the founders of Nova Theatre: Alexandra Coke (who directs and co-designs, marshalling the whole undertaking with aplomb), Justine Malone (who co-designs, with the costumes being particularly good) and Nancy White (who choreographs the terrific movement). Now please can we have more theatre like this!

Last night, Nova Theatre, a new star in Oxford’s theatrical firmament, revealed its glorious talent to an enchanted crowd at the Old Fire Station. A dynamic, gender-reversed, pacey production of Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar exploded onto the stage and in just over two hours (including interval) kept its rapt audience captivated with its shenanigans of intrigue, power struggles, murder and revenge.

With its meaty characters, Julius Caesar is a good choice for a gender-reversed play. Nova sets the play largely in an all-female army barracks fielding, with some doubling, fourteen women and two men. Using the thrust layout, the staging is simple, with a set of bunk beds upstage used multi-purposely. The cast seamlessly move other props on and off as required and make excellent use of the open space and the four exits. The soldiers’ costumes, monochrome combat trousers, vests, and big black boots, worked well to convey the toughness required of them.

From it’s opening to its perfectly-pitched ‘curtain call’, this production exuded confidence and precision in movement. Director Alexandra Coke must take credit for this tight execution, along with her movement and fight choreographers, Nancy White and Khyle Sayer respectively. The text was clearly delivered and mostly perfectly audible, except for the odd instances when one or two actors allowed the volume to drop a little too much when turning upstage or when in reflective mode. The note in the helpful (free) programme tells us that it was decided to change the pronouns to ‘the gender the actors identify in real life’, which is understandable in a fully gender-reversed rendition. However, changing ‘man’ to ‘woman’ also risks disrupting the rhythm of the text.

This unhappy play allows the actors to show a range of conflicting emotions, and all of the actors, not just the excellent leads, grab the opportunity with both hands. The large ensemble cast, who gravitate from playing hard-nosed soldiers to a fickle crowd easily swayed by rhetoric from one version of populism to another, are always alert, always watchable, and are intrinsic to the success of this excellent production.

Laura King, in stature, tone and delivery, was totally credible as the unwavering, dictatorial Julius Caesar, and her reappearance as a ghost was chilling. The scene where her husband Calpurnia (Ian Nutt, a caring man-boy in striped pyjamas) tries to warn her not to leave the house on the Ides of March was affecting. Relationships were believable in this production, including Mark Antony’s (Justine Malone) seemingly genuine regard for Caesar. Mark Antony’s ‘Friends, Romans ..’ speech was more ponderous than formal, but worked well. The camaraderie between Brutus (Elizabeth Dobson) and Cassius (Clare Denton) was spot on: these two interacted beautifully as they plotted their coup. The whole production was underscored by mood-enhancing lighting and a rhythmic soundscape at appropriate intervals.

Let’s hope that Nova Theatre, unlike its astronomical namesake, is not a transient phenomenon: I look forward to its reappearance on our theatrical horizon.