Literary magazine

The Donmar Warehouse's production of Coriola- nus provided an opportunity to visualise the events of Shakespeare's play in a way that is diffi- cult to achieve when relying solely upon the text itself. Their interpretation offered new insights into the play's characters, the pathos-filled surrender of Coriolanus, performed by Tom Hiddleston, highlighted the com- plexity of Caius Martius' personality. In this scene the Donmar depicted the proud, reckless soldier casting away his sword in a final realisation of his situation, an editorial choice that conveys the many facets of Corio- lanus’ behaviour that might otherwise be lost. The performance was minimalist in its approach; there were no grand sets or costumes. Instead, the modern clothing, tempered by the occasional leather breast- plate, brought the political themes of the play into a contemporary setting. The graffiti, 'annus plebis’ that was background to the drama, invited the audience to consider the continuing relevance of the play's political discussion and on the consequences of Rome's 'year of the people'. The cast performed superbly. Mark Gatiss, as Menenius, successfully conveyed a jocular, yet politically acute character and Deborah Findley brought great strength and conviction to her perfor- mance of Volumnia, the strong-willed or, perhaps more accurately, aggressive mother of Coriolanus. Despite the abridged script which, unfortunately, ne- glected some areas of development within the play, Josie Rourke's choices as director complemented this reduced text well. In particular, the decision to have Joe Willis, Young Martius, perform around the edges of the stage illustrated the strong parallels, or rather inter- connection of the identities of Coriolanus and his son; a representation, perhaps, of Coriolanus' inability to mature into a practical politician, as the child’s pres- ence emphasises the childlike qualities of Coriolanus' character and lends a greater impact to Aufidius' final taunt of 'boy'. The workshop with the Donmar was a particularly valu- able opportunity to consider our interpretations and, after an introductory exercise which involved more than a tad of running about, the discussion was very fruitful. The workshop focused predominately on our interpre- tations of Coriolanus' character, including an exercise in which certain guinea pigs had to adopt poses indica- tive of our understanding of Coriolanus, resulting in an intriguing array of arrogant, proud statues. We also Coriolanus A Donmar Production

discussed particular sections of the play we found

interesting, as well as the production's use of space in performance and their own specific interpretations. The performance was well executed and successfully adapted. The on-screen production offered great sup- port and, along with the insights from the workshop discussion, gave us a firm basis for our reading and study of the play. I would argue, as a school trip, which required the punishing journey of 500 metres, it was very constructive and highly enjoyable.

- Edwin Jarratt Barnham, Year 12

False to my nature? Rather say I play The man I am.

Image courtesy of National Theatre Live, Usage under P-09 of the 1988 Copyright Designs and Patents Act 22