"You don’t have to squint too hard to discern unsettling contemporary relevance in the Red Bull Theater’s gripping new production of Shakespeare’s 'Coriolanus'...Setting this play in a simulated America of today carries greater weight...Fortunately, Mr. Sexton’s streamlined production won’t just have you sitting in your seat bemoaning the troubling future of our country. It will also hold your attention in its own right, through simple but forceful staging and superb acting."
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"Though distinct parallels emerge between Shakespeare’s late-period tragedy about electoral politics in 493 B.C.E. Rome and our current situation, you’re not required to draw any. Given that this complex text has been condensed, you’ll be busy just tracking the action. There’s plenty of it in this visceral production...Johnstone, rippling with vigor, plays the conflicted title character."
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"Shakespeare’s seldom-done late tragedy about elections...takes a topical and timely leap to the present day in this provocative new production. Canadian actor Dion Johnstone makes his Off-Broadway debut and commands as the trash-talking warrior who’s unstoppable on the battlefield but an epic fail on the campaign trail. Coriolanus is a hard guy to like, but this invigorating Red Bull revival goes down easy."
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"Invokes the spirit of Occupy Wall Street and the Tea Party, with commoners getting up in arms over what they perceive to be a corrupt and rigged society. A scene where a ballot box is smashed apart with a baseball bat is especially disturbing. Although it is rarely staged, 'Coriolanus' is a solid and straightforward drama, and Red Bull deserves a lot of credit for having the foresight to bring it back into the public eye at this very moment and for presenting it with such vitality."
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"Few playwrights have understood the dynamics of political power so thoroughly, and Sexton's mordant staging has an undeniable, unsettling timeliness...The shattering of the fourth wall is rarely as effective as it is here; this 'Coriolanus' is staged as a town hall meeting in a democracy that is quickly becoming unhinged...Sexton has assembled a cast especially skilled at conveying these cutthroat maneuvers and set to deliver the dialogue at a fast and furious pace."
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"For fans of Red Bull's work, this production of the bard's late tragedy does not disappoint...Director Michael Sexton conducts the play at a fever pitch...While Shakespeare's language remains blessedly intact, expect to see contemporary costumes and references to our own looming and contentious presidential election. Red Bull has gathered together a winning team with a great ability to bring Shakespeare's words and the play's themes to pulsing life."
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“So many characters switch loyalties at such breakneck speed that it often becomes a blur of blood, guts and shouting. No such problems with the Red Bull Theater’s production. Director Michael Sexton plows through the text with his modern dress production, taking no enemies, relating the exciting story of Caius Martius—later Coriolanus—making each and all of its bloody turns crystal clear. He mines the political aspects of the plot, deftly dovetailing them with today’s headlines.”
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"This production really holds a mirror up to our media-soaked eyes and ears. But its center is the acting. A sterling cast! Johnstone inhabits the titular character with a trenchant virility. He spews out his character's lines with force and clarity...The rest of the cast also delivers...One of the remarkable things about this production is that Coriolanus, one of the Bard's' most unlovable characters, becomes sympathetic...This 'Coriolanus' gives new legs to an unpopular play."
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