STAGE REVIEW
'Coriolanus' falls short in audience appeal
By Joseph T. Rozmiarek
Advertiser Theater Critic
It's the Romans vs. the Volsces in this late Shakespearean tragedy. But while the score is heavily in favor of Rome by intermission, none of the players at bat has hit a dramatic home run. The audience is likely to be a bit restive, and when the second half of the evening does not begin until almost 10 p.m., one wonders whether things will pick up.
Thankfully, the playwright and director Harry Wong III have saved some of the best parts for last. But the production succeeds in isolated moments and only picks up dramatic speed when those moments start coming closer together toward the story's climax.
"Coriolanus" is considered by many to be one of Shakespeare's lesser tragedies. It is not often produced or generally popular with audiences, who find little to like in the characters. It calls up echoes of "Julius Caesar" with its military/political setting and features a protagonist who is not always easy to like.
Beneath Rome's war with the Volsces lies its internal struggle to control its own people. The title character is the focal point in both matters, and must also deal with internal conflicts — excessive pride and, curiously, a latent vulnerability to his mother — or perhaps in the ideals that only his mother can awaken.
Coriolanus is a plain-speaking soldier, not a diplomat, and has never bothered to coordinate or to kiss up. His downfall is that he treats everyone the same way and expects straight dealing in return. Although he has defeated a threatening army and earned personal glory, he lacks the golden tongue necessary to placate an ungrateful populace, and is disliked, distrusted and eventually banished.
Up to this point, the production offers only two special moments: the "belly speech" by Menenius (Brent Yoshikami) which compares the Roman state to the human body, with the belly of the Senate sending nourishment to all other organs and appendages, and the petulant goodbye from Coriolanus (Moses Goods III) as he takes his bat to play in someone else's stadium, "There is a world elsewhere."
Happily, the second half is shorter and more punched up.
Coriolanus offers his services to his defeated enemy Aufidius (Antonio Anagaran Jr.) in a vivid scene that Wong stages as a seduction — as if they might be lovers.
His mother Volumnia (Linda Johnson) effectively persuades Coriolanus to spare Rome by waging peace instead of war. As a consequence, Aufidius murders him for this treachery, and the play closes with the Volsces soldiers stubbornly refusing to take up Coriolanus' body for an honorable burial.
The play works when the actors are able to match the moment to the language.
Goods has an arresting presence, excellent articulation and a good dramatic sense. His portrayal helps make this stiff-necked hero somewhat understandable and, in some respects, even admirable.
Anagaran matches this strength in the seduction scene, which electrifies the play for its brief moment. Johnson also rises to the stature necessary to crack Coriolanus' resolve in her begging scene as Volumnia. And Yoshikami generally does good work all evening long, turning Menenius into something of a plastic opportunist and a welcome balance to the rigidity of most of the other characters.
But the good moments truly aren't enough to fill out the entire production, which is generally heavier than it might have to be. It may not be possible to persuade a modern audience to fully embrace the central character, but it is essential that the spoken dialogue open a portal to the play. Too often in the long first act we hear torrents of words fueled by emotion, but miss their meaning or importance.
The cast is outfitted in black by costumer Christy Hauptman, sporting bits of color to identify the opposing soldiers. Portentous music and amplified whispers underscore the gravity of the plot.
Joseph T. Rozmiarek is The Advertiser's drama critic.
