For those forgetful of their days in English lit, the plot of “Coriolanus” bears a superficial resemblance to another of Shakespeare’s tragedies, “Hamlet”: in both, the playwright transforms somewhat obscure historical characters into individuals of complex emotions facing personal and political crises. Both stories also end in bloodshed—and carry similar moral themes, such as the futility of revenge—but there all similarity ends between plays and title characters. If Hamlet’s dominant personality characteristics introspection, Caius Martius Coriolanus’s is a suffocating pride. The title character (a victorious hero-general equipped with an almost invisible wife, a nearly mute son, and bloodthirsty mother) decides the honors being given him after a successful military expedition are insufficient, so he defects to the enemy camp to plan the conquest of Rome. Ultimately, Coriolanus’s mother is sent on behalf of a fearful but angry city to plead with him to reconsider.
One gets the impression that director David Muse was amused by Shakespeare’s treatment of Roman politics (though, it must be said, perhaps any polity that falls back on a mother’s fury as its last tool of statecraft deserves a laugh). “Coriolanus” is not a funny play, but that doesn’t stop Muse from trying. Yet while it ought to be easy for a Washington-based audience to overlook Shakespeare’s often tedious political discourse and relate to the political themes being developed onstage, STC’s production fails to engage the audience on an emotional level. The supposedly climactic scene featuring Mama Volumnia (Diane D’Aquila) giving an impassioned speech to sway her son from attacking Rome quickly becomes tiresome: one needs to see only so much saliva to get the point.
Philip Goodwin as Brutus and Robert Sicular as Menenius in the Shakespeare Theatre Company’s production of Coriolanus, directed by David Muse. Photo by Scott Suchman.
The characters of Junius Brutus (Philip Goodwin) and Sicinius Velutus (Derrick Lee Weeden), both tribunes of the people, had more success affecting public sentiment than super PACs did in influencing the outcome of the 2012 elections. Perhaps they have a future in modern politics.
Perhaps the most successful part of this production is the interplay of light and sound, courtesy of lighting designer Mark McCullogh and composer Mark Bennett. The primal and warlike percussion performed onstage by members of the ensemble at moments of tension achieve the effect of unsettling the audience and provide a rare note of historical authenticity (contrasting with Murell Horton’s quasi-fascist costumes). Moments of swordplay and the frequent reconfiguration of Blythe R.D. Quinlan’s set (which is shared with the concurrently-running adaptation of Friedrich Schiller’s “Wallenstein”) at least provide one with something interesting to look at, if Patrick Page (in the title role) not wearing his tunic isn’t your sort of thing.
Philip Goodwin as Brutus and Robert Sicular as Menenius in the Shakespeare Theatre Company’s production of Coriolanus, directed by David Muse. Photo by Scott Suchman.
But even by the time intermission rolled around, the seats in Sidney Harman Hall left something to be desired, preferably escape.
If you want to escape from contemporary political machinations and the whims of a capricious public by watching ancient political machinations and the whims of a capricious public—and be reminded that revenge and treason always have their price — the show runs until June 2nd and tickets are available on The Shakespeare Theatre Company’s website at http://www.shakespearetheatre.org/tickets/all_tix.aspx .
Cloture Couple remind their friends of Mata Hari and Ernest Hemingway, except that they are much more daring and intriguing. When not writing theatre reviews for Cloture Club, they are involved with haute cuisine, oenology, and international intrigue. They are the most interesting people in the world. Or, at least, in their world.
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