Many societies live exist under the delusion that they are run by men. Yes, the male segment may earn more and be in more positions of power than their female counterparts but, as the song says ‘behind every great man stands a woman’. Shakespeare knew this to be true and demonstrated the effect in great style in his play Coriolanus which has just returned home to Southwark’s Rose Playhouse.
Ancient Rome is in uproar. The ordinary folk of the city, the plebeians, are upset that they are hungry as their rulers, the patricians, are holding back grain. Chief among those hated by the plebeians is General Caius Marcius (Chris Royle) who, being from Rome’s upper classes, makes no secret of his loathing of ‘the many headed’. The plebeians have two Tribunes, Sicinius Velutus and Junius Brutus (Jack Fairley and Sam Perry), who represent them in government, and these two figures spend a lot of time stirring up hatred among the ordinary folk for General Marcius. The general is not alone as his friend, Senator Menenius Agrippa (Atilla Akinci) tries to find common ground between the patrician and the plebeians but, it’s not going to happen and Marcius decides to leave his domineering mother Volumnia (Alexandra Parker) and wife Virgilia (Kate Marston ) and go off and fight with Rome’s Consul and fellow General Cominius (James Meteyard) against the accursed Volscian army, commanded by Marcius’ arch nemesis Tullus Aufidius (Jamie Littlewood). At the siege of Corioli, Marcius is able to force open the gates of the city, and the Romans conquer it. As a reward for his efforts, Comenius bestows the title Coriolanus on Marcius. Surely now, the people will be ready to welcome their hero home and bestow all possible honours on Rome’s champion general – Caius Marcius Coriolanus?
This is my first viewing of Coriolanus and I have to say I think it one of the most complex and multi-layered of Shakespeare’s plays. We have an upper-class soldier who, thanks to his mother, finds himself thrust onto the political stage. Then, there is the mother herself, destined to rule through others. Addi into this the political intriguing of the two tribunes and already there is one heck of a play. Plus, to my mind, there was an additional element. Coriolanus really felt to me like one of the most homoerotic of all Shakespeare’s plays. The relationship between Marcius and just about every other man he came into contact with seemed to emanate a subtle sub-text that all was not as it appeared to the eye. This was particularly true of Marcius and Aufidius where the two men seemed to have a great affection for each other despite being bitter enemies. All told then, this really is a fascinating play.
And, it was delivered by an extremely good cast led by an amazing performance by Chris Royle in the title role. From the moment I first heard his voice, I was certain I was in the presence of a great man. I can’t even describe exactly what it was, whether the pacing or tone of Chris’s voice but I could easily understand why Coriolanus’ troops followed him so faithfully. At the same time, Chris managed to perfectly bring Marcius’ attitude to the plebeians – played by the audience – in a physical way so that every time he looked at someone you felt his despair at having to interact with such creatures. Chris really brings out every ounce of Coriolanus’ personality and delivers one of the most assured and splendid performances I have seen for a long time. Out of a first rate cast, I would also like to single out Alexandra Parker, playing Volumnia – Caius Marcius’ mother. Alexandra puts on a fascinating display of a woman used to being obeyed by all she meets and who when she glided across the stage instantly put me in mind of Joyce Grenfell’s poem “Stately as a Galleon”. And a final call out to the wonderful double act of Jack Fairley and Sam Perry as the two tribunes. These two were a lovely bit of comic relief to stop the story getting too heavy. The two actors had a lovely sense of timing and movement and when it came down to it, really knew what to do with a loaf of bread
Director Kate Littlewood makes full use of the space available, with the majority of the action taking place in The Rose’s thrust stage and some of the bigger scenes occurring out among the archaeological diggings. On the whole, this worked well but there were times when, due to the fence between the two parts of the theatre, it was difficult to see precisely what was happening. However, that is a minor quibble, as is my issues with military uniforms – a general would not have lance corporal’s stripes on his jacket. Overall then, this was a highly enjoyable production of a fascinating and intriguing play that is not seen often enough.
Dawid Minnar Janine Ulfane – Photograher credit Alixandra Fazzina. “Survival of the fittest” is a phrase that originated from Darwinian evolutionary theory as a way of describing the mechanism of natural selection. Which means that even in the most inhospitable of placers, life will find a way – even if at times, you may look and think what’s the point? For example, in South Africa, the aloe plant is considered one of the country’s most powerful, beautiful and celebratory symbols. It survives out in the wild when everything else is dried. At the end of everything, the aloe is still there. And it is this survival that is at the heart of Athol Fugard’s A Lesson From Aloes which has returned to the UK and is currently in residence at the Finborough Theatre. Set in South Africa in 1963, where apartheid is at its height and the citizens are living in a paranoid police state. The play revolves around a middle-aged left-leaning couple – Afrikaner Piet Bezuidenhout (Dawid Minnaar) and hi
Since 1912, the Blackburn Musical Theatre Company has been entertaining the theatre going folks of this Lancashire town with their annual musical production. In that time, they have covered the vast array of musical theatre from their first production - Sunday - through to their latest - Hello Dolly - which I caught at the Blackburn Empire Theatre. Dolly Gallagher Levi (Sue Chadwick) is a woman that likes to meddle, or as she puts it, arrange things. Whatever you need doing, Dolly is the person for the job. And right now, she is the talk of turn of the century New York, having brought together Mr Horace Vandergelder (Kris Wlodarczyk), the well-known half-a-millionaire and Mrs Irene Molloy (Laura Mitchell) a widowed millener. Their engagement and subsequent marriage seems pretty much sewn up though neither is marrying for love. Horace, as he tells his Chief Clerk, Cornelius Hackl (Ryan Coe), and Assistant, Barnaby Tucker (Fletcher Illingworth), is looking for someone to r
Since July 2014, I've seen and reviewed 588 shows altogether. 2017 was a fairly quiet year with a total of 132 shows visited by yours truly. So, in the best traditions of end of the year ideas, here is my list of the top 10 shows that I've seen this year. Please remember, this is my list not anybody else's and if you don't agree with the pick, well, what can I say? 1. Priscilla Queen of the Desert, Bridewell Theatre This story of friendship and hope took two drag queens and a trans woman from Sydney to Alice Springs, in a big pink bus. Along the way, the met new friends and face rampant homophobia. SEDOS brought every element of the show together beautifully, and to a standard that you would expect to see in the West End. Sold out virtually as soon as it was announced, this was the ‘must see production of the year. 2. La Cage aux Folles, New Wimbledon Theatre This is was a touring production of a show that demonstrates the importance of family a
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