YOU'D BE HARD -pressed to find a more compelling study of power, political intrigue, and human fallibility than Julius Caesar. And it's hard to find a better moment than the present – likewise, with voter fraud in the 2000 elections and the Rumsfeld, Cheney, Bush grand slam as a backdrop – to add immediacy to the artistic equation. The play is timeless; the 1989 Berkeley Shakes production directed by Oscar Eustis is simply unforgettable – the best Shakespeare I've ever seen. When I went to the Cal Shakes Web site and discovered that actor L. Peter Callender is back for another season and will play Caesar and that artistic director Jonathan Moscone will direct, my first thought was that this production will rival Eustis's. The cast is outstanding, with Nancy Carlin as Portia, James Carpenter as Cassius, and Brian Russell in a pair of smaller roles. Moscone has shown that he's not afraid to take risks and that he has the imagination to make those risks pay off. If the first two years of his tenure didn't offer proof enough of his huge talent, his production of Chekov's Cherry Orchard last season was nothing short of brilliant. It's difficult not to think that Moscone's bitter personal history – his father, the former mayor of San Francisco, was assassinated by an enraged political rival – will somehow amplify this already wonderful play. Previews Wed/28-Fri/30, 8 p.m. Opens Sat/31, 8 p.m. Runs Tues.-Thurs., 7:30 p.m.; Fri.-Sat., 8 p.m. (also Sat., 2 p.m.); Sun., 4 p.m., Highway 24 at Shakespeare Festival Way/Gateway Exit, Orinda. $13-$49. (510) 548-9666, www.calshakes.org. (J.H. Tompkins)