"Coriolanus" at the Stratford Festival--Has anybody seen it?

Question

Shakespeare's tragedy "Coriolanus" at the Stratford Festival in Ontario--

If you saw it, had you already read the play? Did you like the production?

Or if you have read the play--

What do you think of this play?

Answer 1

"Coriolanus" is a great and, in my opinion, unjustly neglected play. It's tempting to compare it to "Julius Caesar" because of the Roman settings, but they're really quite different. Whereas "Caesar" is much more overtly political (asking the common Shakespearean question: what are the people justified in doing when they are confronted with a corrupt ruler?), "Coriolanus" is much more of a character study.

Caius Marcius Coriolanus has been raised by a domineering mother to believe -- to KNOW -- that he is better than the common people. He becomes a great war hero, but -- and here's the irony -- in order to make the transition from military to political life, he needs the support of the very citizens he has constantly disparaged. His arrogance gets him banished from Rome, at which point he joins forces with his mortal enemy, Tullus Aufidius, and together, they lead the Volscian army back towards Rome. Only the intervention of Coriolanus' mother at the last minute prevents Rome from being sacked...although it does seal Caius Marcius' tragic fate.

I find the play very exciting, and very timely. Certainly, in our lifetimes, we've seen numerous examples of military men attempting to parlay their combat success into political capital.

I haven't seen the production at Stratford, but I saw one many years ago in Ashland, OR (featuring two brilliant performances, Dennis Arndt as Coriolanus and Stuart Duckworth as Aufidius) that I remember as being one of the best shows I ever saw. Recently, I saw the production at A Noise Within (Los Angeles' finest classical theatre company), and was equally impressed.

Answer 2

I was in it as several characters in high school. It was pretty dry, but then again, I was 17 at the time. Julius Caesar is a better play regarding over reaching one's ambition, in my opinion.