BWW Reviews: Shakespeare Theatre Company Offers Powerful CORIOLANUS

Director David Muse and Shakespeare Theatre Company shines the spotlight on one of William Shakespeare's obscure and most political plays. Now playing in alternating repertory with Schiller's Wallenstein, Coriolanus offers a no-nonsense approach to the text and memorable performances that go a long way to make a case for audiences to discover the play.

The Tragedy of Coriolanus is often looked on as one of the Shakespeare plays from the "he also wrote..."category. It is infrequently performed at major Shakespeare festivals and classical theatrical companies, such as Canada's Stratford Festival in 2006. Shakespeare Theatre Company has produced Coriolanus two other times during the 1991-1992 season and again in 2000-2001. David Muse, writing in the "Asides" publication, even suggests Coriolanus plays better onstage than it reads.

Clocking in around three hours, Coriolanus takes commitment on the part of the audience, but the brisk pacing of the production helps the time pass. Muse has also placed the play in the good hands of a first rate Acting Company lead by Shakespeare Theatre Company Affiliated Artist Patrick Page. Along with Diane D'Aquila's stunning portrayal of Coriolanus' mother, Page's performance is one you won't want to miss.

In Coriolanus, Politics and warfare intermingle, making for an interesting balance, especially when the Roman populace displays their on-again, off-again relationship with the title character. Lauded for his bravery while protecting the city from nearby invaders, general Caius Martius is convinced to run for consul just as he is given a new name to honor his triumph. A man of equal parts bravery, ruthlessness and pride, Coriolanus refuses to pander to the people for their votes and they turn on him swiftly. He accepts banishment and makes his way to his former enemy's door to offer to join him in an onslaught against his home city.

He turns his back on Rome - including friends and family - and there is less of a neat and tidy fatal character flaw found in Coriolanus than some of Shakespeare's other tragic figures. His one big mistake is, as far as I can tell, sticking to his own hard and fast beliefs. "Would you have me False to my nature? Rather say I play the man I am," Coriolanus says in Act III, scene 14. His contempt for the common man, most of whom did not fight along side him during the bloodbath against the Volscians, comes the closest to being his biggest liability.

Director Muse has made a name for himself directing contemporary plays - Circle Mirror Transformation, Venus in Fur, and Bachelorlette - since becoming artistic director of Studio Theatre. Muse is also a former associate artistic director of Shakespeare Theatre Company's with numerous titles to his credit, including Henry V, Romeo and Juliet, and Julius Caesar. I did not have the opportunity to see his other Shakespeare productions, but I feel confident they must have been fine productions indeed. His direction of Coriolanus offers a clear, economical vision that is striking in its simplicity. The contemporary feel of the production illuminates difficult passages and keeps the show moving at a pace that helps soften the long-running time.

Patrick Page is perfectly cast as a warrior consumed with pride and the passion of his convictions and devotion to his family. Page possesses a phenomenal vocal instrument - akin to an American Richard Burton - which he uses to great advantage throughout his scenes and he is rarely off the stage. Physically, he is intensely believable as the great general. He is fascinating to watch as his Coriolanus coldly addresses the Roman masses and then humbly and respectfully kneels before his formidable mother, Volumnia.

Playing Volumnia, Diane D'Aquila gives one of the finest performances of a female in a classical role I have seen recently. Layers of maternal affection, fear, loathing, and a volume of other emotions large and small ripple through her expressions and her body. In particular, D'Aquila's scenes with Page crackle with energy, power and are gripping. A long-time company member at the Stratford Festival, D'Aquila is a welcome addition to the great ladies who have graced the stage in Washington. (We may also see her as the Countess in Wallenstein during her stay at STC.)

As two consul members who help turn the masses against Coriolanus, Derrick Lee Weeden and Philip Goodwin are Sicinius and Brutus, respectively. They make a formidable pair of political operatives and are both experts at making their 400-year old dialogue seem improvised.

Other standouts among the cast are Robert Sicular and Steve Pickering. Sicular is Menenius, Roman senator and surrogate father to Coriolanus. As one of the general's closest allies in Rome, Sicular wears his devotion for Coriolanus on his sleeve. Pickering portrays another supporter and colleague in battle, Cominius.

The design team of Blythe R. D. Quinlan (sets) and Mark McCullough (lighting) provide a monumental setting that fits the epic scale of the drama as it unfolds. Murell Horton's costume designs make it easy to tell the rabble from the middle class, and the middle class from the elite. The mixture of modern silhouettes with flowing robes and accents that evoke ancient warfare was an inspired choice, given the contemporary spin the production takes with Shakespeare's play.

One of the most striking images of Coriolanus is also one of the last. After Caius Martius/Coriolanus is killed by the Volscians under the command of Aufidius (Reginald Andre Jackson), the body lies, bleeding and lifeless. Young Martius, the son of the slain general, stoically approaches his father's corpse. After looking down at the fallen warrior, the boy silently picks up the murder weapon - his father's dagger - and holds it up to the light. The boy runs his hand across the blade and smears the blood of Coriolanus across his face, so that he looks like his father returning from battle. It is an unforgettable tableaux and it speaks volumes about the father/son relationship and the legacies that can be shared, for good or for ill.

Pictured: Patrick Page as Coriolanus, Robert Sicular as Menenius and Steve Pickering as Cominius in the Shakespeare Theatre Company's production of Coriolanus, directed by David Muse. Photo by Scott Suchman.

William Shakespeare's Coriolanus.

Directed by David Muse. Runtime: 3 hours, one intermission

March 28-June 2, 2013, in the Sidney Harman Hall

For more information, click here or call 202.547.1122

Coriolanus plays in repertory with Wallenstein

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