Marin Shakespeare Company's Cold War-reimagined "Julius Caesar" is drawing strong critical praise at Forest Meadows Amphitheatre in San Rafael, with one veteran reviewer calling it "an absolute triumph" and awarding it a rare five out of five stars.

Barry Willis, a member of the American Theatre Critics Association and past president of the SF Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle, wrote in the Marin Independent Journal that the production "has moved into the No. 1 spot for this reviewer." His verdict landed Monday, Aug. 17, three days after the show opened at Dominican University of California's campus at 890 Belle Ave.

The production runs through Sunday, Sept. 13.

A pay-what-you-will performance on Thursday, Aug. 27 makes the show accessible to all budgets.

Artistic director Jon Tracy directed and adapted the Shakespeare classic, resetting it in an imagined Rome shaped by Cold War-era aesthetics. Set designer Nina Ball built a high wall plastered with torn handbills for Caesar and his enemy Pompey, fronting an urban alley littered with shabby office furniture and battered telephones. When the wall opens in the second half, it reveals a wasteland overrun with fanatic militias distinguished only by red hats and black hats.

The cast features Johnny Moreno as Caesar, real-life sisters Charisse Loriaux and Bridgette Loriaux as Cassius and Brutus, and Brady Morales-Woolery as Mark Antony. Natalie Adona, returning to the stage after a 20-year absence, plays Calpurnia. The production gender-swaps several roles, adjusting all dialogue to match.

Willis singled out Morales-Woolery as "marvelous" and warned that front-row attendees "may carry home some stage blood," thanks to fight director Dave Maier's realistic assassination choreography. Willis also cautioned the show is not suitable for children given its graphic violence.

Not every critic was as effusive. The SF Chronicle's Lily Janiak praised Tracy's inventive concept but found the second half "hazy," calling the direction at times "like a term paper written on an all-nighter, based on CliffsNotes." She credited Tracy's imagination as "the best thing" about the production.

The show runs about two hours and 30 minutes. Performances are Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 5 p.m. Tickets range from $16.99 to $52.49. Each Saturday performance includes a free "Kaleidoscope Talk" pre-show at 6:35 p.m.

The production marked Marin Shakespeare's latest ambitious reimagining at the outdoor amphitheatre. Tickets and information are available at marinshakespeare.org or by calling 415-499-4488.