MAYER WAKEFIELD is entertained but let down by an audacious production that, sadly, doesn't ring true
Latest editorial
Coriolanus, National Theatre at Home
Gritty account of the downfall of an uncompromising war lord
AT WAR WITH HIMSELF: Tom Hiddlestone as Coriolanus
[Johan Persson]
MARY CONWAY is disappointed by drama that, despite accomplished performances, cannot overcome an unfocused script
New releases from Sam Carter, Spell Songs and Les Thomas
KEN COCKBURN traces the one original language – that of the Yamnaya pastoral nomads – from which all European and Indian languages derive
PAUL DONOVAN is fascinated by the debunking of the iconic British war hero
ALEX HALL recommends a searing panorama of our global predicament
CORIOLANUS is possibly the most single-track and linear of all Shakespeare’s works.
With no subplots or deviation from its core theme, what seems like a predictable tale of military might and political power is, by the conclusion, a simple account of the complexities and inner workings of one man’s mind.
The fearless and commanding Caius Martius — Coriolanus — is a Roman military leader whose macho world of bloody battles and swaggering pride, synonymous almost with the modern world of car chases and shoot-outs, has earned his sobriquet in recognition of one such battle.
Similar stories
MARY CONWAY is disappointed by drama that, despite accomplished performances, cannot overcome an unfocused script
GEOFF BOTTOMS applauds a world-class production King Lear that pits late feudalism against a rising bourgeoisie
MARY CONWAY applauds the timely revival of Miller’s study of people fatally deformed by the economics of survival
Although this production was in rehearsal before the playwright’s death, it allows us to pay homage to his life, suggests MARY CONWAY