Sope Dirisu (Coriolanus); James Corrigan (Aufidius); Paul Jesson (Menenius); Haydn Gwynne (Volumnia); Charles Aitken (Cominius); Ben Hall (Titus Lartius); Martina Laird (Junius Brutus); Hannah Morrish (Virgilia); Katherine Toy (Valeria)
Caius Martius Coriolanus is a fearless soldier but a reluctant leader. In the new city-state of Rome, where the gap between rich and poor is widening every day, his ambitious mother attempts to carve him a path to political power, but he struggles to change his nature.
Artist(s):
Sope Dirisu; James Corrigan; Paul Jesson; Haydn Gwynne; Charles Aitken; Ben Hall; Martina Laird; Hannah Morrish; Katherine Toy
"Strongly performed modern reframing of one of Shakespeare’s most political plays Dirisu is a formidable stage-filling presence striking visual moments strong support from Haydn Gwynne as his [Coriolanus'] intelligent, ambitious mother Volumnia and James Corrigan’s Aufidius, who reveals unexpected levels of affection and warmth towards Coriolanus that serve to make the ending all the more powerful." (The Stage)
"Haydn Gwynne as Coriolanus's mother Volumnia brings a combination of aristocratic arrogance and maternal vulnerability that is particularly moving. As the culmination of an ambitious, thoughtfully realised season of some of Shakespeare's less popular works, it solidly earns its place in the RSC's Roman canon." (Whatsonstage)
"It's a production that's built around artful clashes of violence and elegance. In scenes of marble-floored sterility, Coriolanus's power-hungry mother Volumnia (a sleekly persuasive Hadyn Gwynne) coaxes her son away from his meek wife, and out to battle. Then as fighting breaks out, it's back to the abattoir, and the gory foundations that Coriolanus's power is built on." (Time Out)
"Coriolanus is an illuminating study of extremes and intransigence on both sides of the political divide. It’s a hefty, occasionally unwieldy, beast of a play, but Angus Jackson’s modern-dress production steers a clear line through, pinpointing key moments." (Evening Standard ★★★★)