National Theatre Live: Coriolanus

I've only seen one other production of this play, about 40 years ago in NYC, with Morgan Freeman in the lead role and Denzil Washington being a spear-carrier. I remember enjoying that, which is more than can be said for this. Josie Rourke's production is one of those that puts me right off Shakespeare, in which everyone spends a lot of time lustily shouting at each other for no apparent purpose, issuing strings of seemingly random words at great volume. I couldn't make sense of what anyone was saying or what it all meant, but could only go, "Right, well she's obviously very cross with him, so I'll just go with that". At the core of it is Tom Hiddleston, bland and dull, the cheese string of the acting world, turning Coriolanus into a walk-on in his own play. Only Mark Gatiss and Elliot Levey manage to make sense of their lines If I'd seen this as a kid I'd never watch another Shakespeare again.

Even if you were a liberal arts major it's easy to skip over this Shakespeare gem, but read Coriolanus and it will contend as a favorite.

So I'm lauding the whole production but just for a moment let's talk about Tom Hiddleston and recall the roles he played in the preceding years.

TH is an actor who skyrocketed to fame playing egoists, and his roles stand in contrast to the figure he presents in real life. This is a man who's led a privileged life but is quick to explain that the opportunities he's been afforded are an accident of birth. Here I paraphrase, but TH has modestly stated that he found an affinity for languages (e.g. Greek) because he was afforded a chance to study them, and ideally, any child should be presented with the same opportunity.

We're talking about a lead actor with an impressive educational pedigree who believes in equality, but man is it fun to see him inhabit the skin of proto-fascist Coriolanus. Just as it's a gas to see him as Loki trying to take over the world, or Hal struggling to transform into Henry.

Caius Martius Coriolanus is a difficult role for any actor; the character is a poor politician. Tom delivers in a big way.

'Coriolanus' is not an easy play to perform or stage, with Coriolanus not being easy to identify with, and dramatically is not as concise or as consistently gripping as other Shakespeare plays. One of Shakespeare's most compelling and more complex titular characters is one of the main interest points, regardless of whether he is likeable or not (more the latter), as well as it emphasising a class divide that wouldn't be too out of date today.

Had no doubt that this production of 'Coriolanus' would be good, or at least good. The cast is a great one and like Tom Hiddleston, no stranger to Shakespeare with him being in 'The Hollow Crown' and being excellent as Hal/ Henry V, as an actor a good deal. It was interesting to see whether 'Coriolanus' would fare done in minimalist modern dress, which for me would have been a first to see if my memory serves correct. Was not let down at all, this 'Coriolanus' is not just good, it's excellent.

The camera work was not always great, but this is more to do with the experience rather than the production itself. The camera work could have been much more intimate, especially in the more dramatic moments where some more expansive wide shots agreed did distract and made the stage somewhat smaller than it actually is.

My only complaint actually with the actual production itself was to do with the transition changes between scenes, the momentum sags and they could have been far more interesting than they were.

On the other hand, although simple the production looks good, the sparseness not being ugly at all and is done in good taste. Found the set quite atmospheric and that it fitted with the play's and drama's mood, while the lighting is not too dreary and adds to this atmosphere. The modern dress costumes don't look cheap and fit with ease within the setting. The use of props was clever and not too much of a gimmick and the blood is not used gratuitously and symbolic of anger and hate that appear frequently throughout the play without going overboard or in your face with it. Josie Rourke's stage direction is quite remarkable, 'Coriolanus' themes and conflicts are handled with un-pat neatness, as well as all the vital story elements, even if the setting is different the spirit is very much the same. The humour is not overdone or too broad, so it doesn't grate and is funny, the action is violently harrowing and tense while not pulling any punches and the tragedy brings a lump to the throat.

In the difficult title role, Hiddleston is mesmerising and the embodiment of him while digging deep into the character's way of thinking (which is one of the play's challenges). The character also grows and goes on a journey and in a way that's never rushed or over/under-played. There are also fine performances from Birgittte Hjort Sorensen (beautifully understated), Mark Gatiss (uncompromisingly ambitious), Deborah Findley (sincere) and Hadley Fraser (indeed a force to be reckoned with).

Summing up, excellent. 9/10

The simple use of an ever present marked red square, hedging the bloody battle arena between the protagonist and his enemy, that eventually becomes the symbol of their partnership. The stage for the glorification of his deeds. The separation between him and "the common people". The confinement of his treason accusation. The marking of his downfall. Even in darkness, it is always emphasised in lighting, to remind how much the protagonist becomes more and more isolated in his own arrogant ambition and anger.

And if the stage lighting is already a seemingly effortless masterwork in scene ambience and transitioning, trading actors and transforming a never changing set without the audience ever noticing it, the camera work helps to enhance every little change during the play.

Either framing each new scene with a dolly wide shot, either carefully framing the dialogue while focusing someone else, on which the words may weigh greater in the moment. Simple acts that could be lost on some of the live audience are cautiously regarded and captured by the directors, setting up the difficult job of filming the play separately from its staging as a complementary and deeper look at the strong performances, specially and undoubtedly that of Hiddleston's protagonist.