In an age where words like ‘tragedy’ and ‘honour’ have lost their true intensity through overuse, the National Theatre’s understated production of Shakespeare’s Coriolanus provides stunning insight into the inevitable fall of one of Rome’s leading generals who fatally fails to make the transition from battlefield hero to crowd pleasing Consul.
The play (run time 2hrs 45 mins) demands a lot of its actors; it’s monologue-heavy, requiring considerable skill to maintain interest, engagement and understanding with an audience grappling with social media-driven reduced attention spans.
Shakespeare’s writing also demands the audience sits up and takes note from the start.
Names of generals, battles, allies and foes are delivered at machine-gun speed, like a barstool storyteller who thunders on, assuming you know the ‘who’s’ and ‘where’s’ of his tale. It’s worth the work.
David Oyelowo’s fabulously nuanced performance as Coriolanus (pictured above) ensures his character is utterly credible as the scourge of the Volscians, as a dutiful son and ultimately as a man whose principles cost him his life.
Lyndsey Turner’s direction fully enables him to demonstrate his ability to enthral the National’s seasoned audience both on stage and in close-up with several videography sections adding value and visibility to his every tiny muscle flex.
Gosh, the camera loves him, and his beautiful diction ensures you hang on every word. But there are big fight scenes too, as he battles his mortal enemy Tullus Aufidius (Kobna Holdbrook-Smith), and big stage journeys as he’s banished from his beloved Rome, his family, and his friend and mentor Menenius (a really excellent Peter Forbes).
The sets for this production are absolutely stunning. Award-winning designer Es Devlin has created a moveable feast of brutalist columns to create a museum, a fire-lit battlefield, a home, a council chamber and more. And there are stunning complementary costumes thanks to Annemarie Woods and their team.
Turner’s thoughtful approach to Coriolanus, the play, means we’re subtly invited to draw modern-day parallels with populist politics. Protestors deface sculptures with orange paint and Tribunes accept new suits as they gain a voice in government.
The play leaves you to reflect on the inevitability of a fall from grace for those who refuse to bend to popular demand, and the implications of populist politics and those who embrace it.
Assisted performances
Captioned: Saturday 2 November – 1pm
BSL Interpreted: Thursday 10 October – 7pm
Audio described: Saturday 12 October – 1pm and Thursday 7 November – 7pm
Audio-described performances are preceded by a Touch Tour, 90 minutes before the performance start time. Call the Access line on 020 7452 3961 to book Touch Tours.
Relaxed performance: Monday 21 October – 7pm
For further information visit https://www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/
Photo credit: Misan Harriman
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