Brilliantly staged and masterfully translated from Shakespeare’s text, the story of war and politics hits close to home
By Lucie K. Scheuer
“Coriolanus,” Shakespeare’s visceral, raw, exposé about a Roman general and his frenzied attraction to conquering warfare, is currently playing at Oregon Shakespeare Festival’s Thomas Theatre. Based in Rome, translated by Sean San José into understandable, freer-flowing verse, “Coriolanus” takes us into the mind of a warrior. He is an antihero and hero merged into one. We are captivated by his engagement with his enemies in combat. We are stunned by his hubris and inability to recognize the needs of his own starving people. It appears he is Rome’s protector and then all at once the enemy of its people.
Coriolanus is a Roman general who is honored for defeating an invading army and defending Rome. The Senate nominates him as a consul, but he fails to win the support of the people as he did not help them when they were starving. He is subsequently ostracized and banished from Rome. He joins ranks with a sworn enemy, ready to attack the city. His mother, calling attention to his wife and child, begs him not to.
Where do his allegiances really lie? It is a complicated answer and an intriguing dive into the mind of a self-obsessed, conquering hero, who finds there is no one you can trust when you have forgotten the very ideals you were fighting for. It is a play about revenge and blind ambition. It can be dark. It pulls you into battle. It is militaristic in tone and not for all audiences. This play is about strategizing. Staying one step ahead of oneself. Is Coriolanus marching toward Rome, or marching toward his own demise? In the end, will he win back Rome, or will he win back his conscience?
There are times audience members, tucked into the very square perimeter of the Thomas Theatre, might feel as though they have been sucked into a video chess game. It has that feel. The special effects in this one are gravitational and axial, with Coriolanus’ regiments formed and moving in slow motion (marvelously executed) with determination, in step. A well-oiled machine.
Whirring fans become helicopters. Armies merge into one with kung-fu-type, choreographed robotic symmetry and superbly executed moves. There are sounds of war and roaring crowds. Dissonant musical interludes and lots of movement, behind barracks, in hand-to-hand combat, toward victory, then surrender. One gets the sense there are armies present, and yet there are only eight actors in the ensemble.
It took the genius of translator/interpreter Sean San José, director Rosa Joshi, movement director Alice Gosti, fight director U. Jonathan Toppo, lighting designer Sarah Hughey, scenic and costume designer Sara Ryung Clement and a host of production assistants to make this down and dirty, primal dive into the story of about a military man with a desire for power and vengeance. It is brilliantly staged and masterfully translated.
With recent OSF productions, the emphasis has been on adding contemporary dance, music and choreography, to engage audiences. This time the dialog has been streamlined through a project called Play On Shakespeare, whose mission, according to Kamilah Bush, production dramaturg, is to “enhance the understanding of Shakespeare’s plays … for theatre professionals, students, teachers and audiences, by engaging with contemporary translations and adaptations.”
Another intriguing aspect of this production is the casting of female and nonbinary actors. with moves and gestures accomplished through vehemence and determination. This is a time of Roman dominance demonstrated by the spirit of the Roman warrior. Attributes and traits normally associated with males — cunning, aggressiveness, assertiveness, bravery — are cloaks worn by these actors, reminding us that these energies are relative and can be embraced by all genders.
Whoever this Coriolanus is, he has been brilliantly absorbed by Jessika D. Williams. Every move, every word of anguish Jessika utters becomes Coriolanus. We really do believe this is him. The man who almost conquers Rome. The man who, in the end strives to appease it.
Antoinette Robinson is the audacious Aufidius, the general of the Volscian army who allies himself with Coriolanus and then decides to take his allegiance in a different direction. Every member of the ensemble put energy into this production, including Vilma Silva as Cominius, Betsy Schwartz as Sicinius, Kate Wisniewski as Menenius, Rami Magron as Brutus, Maria Porter as Volumnia, Coriolanus’ distraught mother and Amelio Garcia as a citizen.
Yes, this is a story that hits close to home. Rome has a lot to teach us about the fragility of democracy, the travesty of endless war, the importance of an active citizenry and how self-interested leaders can turn on a dime. In some ways we are already painfully aware of it. But this is Shakespeare after all. The subject matter is not appealing to everyone but nevertheless demands our attention.
Reach Ashland-based writer Lucie K. Scheuer at [email protected].
