When modern-day theater-goers think of “Julius Caesar,” they usually imagine marble arches and the magnificent 3000-seat Globe Theatre. But in the Elliott Program Center’s much more intimate space, working with naught but a simple set of grey steps and a precarious-looking platform, The Stanford Shakespeare Company’s unadorned talent takes center stage.

The titular character (Joe Camp ’11) has fairly few lines compared to the other main characters and dies early in Act Three, but while he is onstage, he owns every minute of it. “He’s the catalyst of the play,” said Camp, “so while it could have easily been called ‘Brutus’ or even ‘Cassius,’ none of it would have happened without him.” Camp plays the conqueror to the hilt, oozing confidence and condescension while maintaining a humanity that even professional actors often neglect in this larger-than-life character, especially in his interactions with his wife, Calpurnia (Camille Brown ’14). Calpurnia is portrayed as appropriately desperate, and even a little crazy (which is only enhanced by her loud, magenta costume), a somewhat unorthodox but nonetheless compelling depiction of an oft-neglected character.

Another pair of well-matched foils are co-conspirators Brutus (Philip Balliet ’11) and Cassius (Francisco Maravilla ’12). It becomes clear, from their first interaction, that they know their characters — and each other’s — like the backs of their hands. Maravilla opts for a classical stage interpretation; he is passionate, headstrong and very nearly a drama queen, delivering a performance that could easily command the stage of a much larger house. Balliet chose instead to accommodate the smaller venue — and indeed, he excels at the quiet scenes. This reviewer was especially moved by his treatment of Brutus’s relationship with his wife, Portia (Rachel Purcell ’13); in particular, the scene in which Portia falls upon her knees before him and he raises her gently to her feet — which admittedly owes as much to Purcell’s talent as to Balliet’s — was magnificently rendered. Balliet’s Brutus is understated, introspective and ultimately an immensely tragic character — this reporter is not too proud to admit that she nearly wept at his death. “He’s probably the most complex Shakespeare role I’ve played,” Balliet said after the show. “‘Julius Caesar’ is, especially compared to stuff like ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ and ‘Romeo and Juliet,’ one of Shakespeare’s most complex plays. I mean, I murder one of my best friends, but I’m still a sympathetic character.” And is he ever. If this reviewer had to choose one show-stopping performance from amongst the troupe’s surfeit of talent, it would be Balliet as Brutus.

Their ostensible opponents, Marc Antony (Mary Beth Corbett ’12) and Octavius (David Raymond ’13) do not have nearly the same bromantic relationship, nor are they intended to. Octavius’s bravado, especially when his faction parleys with Brutus and Cassius, is reminiscent of Caesar’s — a wonderful and undoubtedly intentional parallel — but Raymond never fails to convey a sense of youthful inexperience. Octavius is not Caesar — nor, at this point, Antony’s equal — and Antony capitalizes upon this weakness throughout Act Four. Corbett’s Antony is delightfully devious, and her rendition of the oft-quoted “Friends, Romans, countrymen” speech is a pleasure to watch; there is no mistaking the utter scorn dripping from every repetition of the line “and Brutus is an honorable man” nor the calculated way she goads the crowd with Caesar’s will in hand. When the populace rises up against the conspirators, the reaction feels perfectly natural — Corbett has earned it.

In addition to the immense talent of its actors, the play owes much to a series of excellent production decisions, spearheaded this season by director Phillip Bowen ’11 and producer Caroline Chen ’12. For a troupe of this size, “Julius Caesar” is an enormous undertaking; even though many actors ended up playing multiple characters, every scene change went off without a hitch. Though the troupe operates on a tight budget, the play really comes alive with small but effective nods to historical accuracy: the senatorial togas, for example, were appropriately edged in purple, and the short swords wielded by militant parties were, though clearly fake, of the correct length and shape to pass for Roman gladii. (The crew revealed afterward that significant research was incorporated into the costume design process.) And the staging and lighting, even if the audience never noticed it, were laden with symbolism and artistic interpretation that subtly enhanced the experience.

“Julius Caesar” began its run on Wednesday, Feb. 23, but there are still three more showings: tonight at 7 p.m. and 10:30 p.m., and Saturday at 8 p.m. Though they are undoubtedly fully booked by now, standby tickets are released 10 minutes before the start of each show — and they are definitely worth waiting for. As this reviewer told the Company after their dress rehearsal, this student-run performance is on par with most professional renditions and almost as good as New York’s Shakespeare in the Park.