Coriolanus
84

Coriolanus NYC Reviews and Tickets

84%
(131 Ratings)
Positive
97%
Mixed
3%
Negative
0%
Members say
Great acting, Absorbing, Relevant, Ambitious, Intense

About the Show

Red Bull Theater's visceral mounting of Shakespeare's political tragedy features Broadway star Patrick Page ('Cymbeline,' 'Casa Valentina'), RSC veteran Lisa Harrow, and two-time Tony winner Stephen Spinella.

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Show-Score Member Reviews (131)

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58 Reviews | 13 Followers
88
Absorbing, Great acting, Intense, Riveting, Clever

See it if You like adaptations of Shakespeare plays with a modern twist. Excellent acting and being up close to the stage in an intimate theater.

Don't see it if You like comedies, musicals or family friendly shows.

175 Reviews | 20 Followers
87
Great acting, Great staging, Absorbing, Relevant, Resonant

See it if you enjoy seeing Shakespeare staged with contermporary flair

Don't see it if you prefer traditional historical staging

132 Reviews | 46 Followers
87
Great acting, Great staging, Absorbing, Thought-provoking, Resonant

See it if you enjoy political plays, tragedies, or the modernization of Shakespeare that still keeps the language.

Don't see it if you dislike Shakespearean language, violence, or actors playing more than one role. Read more

370 Reviews | 80 Followers
87
Ambitious, Clever, Edgy, Intelligent, Intense

See it if you'll like a fairly well acted modern adaptation of rarely performed Shakespeare; don't mind that the adaptation is a bit "campy."

Don't see it if you like your Shakespeare 'pure"/fully costumed, dislike over the top efforts to modernize it, some truncation of the script.

104 Reviews | 15 Followers
87
Clever, Great acting, Resonant, Relevant

See it if You appreciate great acting that portrays the many ugly heads involved in democracy, ancient and modern.

Don't see it if You really want Tullus Aufidius and Coriolanus to make out.

414 Reviews | 70 Followers
86
Great acting, Absorbing, Intense, Relevant, High energy

See it if you are open to a political play in Shakespearean language but with a contemporary take; modern day relevance shows what a genius WS was

Don't see it if you want traditional sets and costumes; don't want a high energy performance where the actors come from all sides or bloody & loud fight

103 Reviews | 18 Followers
86
Relevant, Great staging, Absorbing, Intense, Great acting

See it if you want an intense, emotional interpretation of Shakespeare infused with sharp social commentary (particularly relevant this election year)

Don't see it if you're a Shakespeare purist—there are added lines—or squeamish about fake blood/homoerotic undertones in conventionally straight characters.

71 Reviews | 11 Followers
86
Great acting, Great staging

See it if you enjoy fantastic acting and want to see a more obscure Shakespeare

Don't see it if you prefer less bare-bones staging. Read more

Critic Reviews (21)

Epoch Times
November 14th, 2016

"Timely and riveting production...Director Michael Sexton makes the show timely by cutting certain scenes...Johnston is magnetic as Coriolanus, a proud and driven man, but one unable to look beyond his own needs and status...Offering a strong warning about arrogance, power, and mass manipulation, this production clearly shows 'Coriolanus' to be as relevant today as when it was written."
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NY Theatre Guide
November 3rd, 2016

"I could write a sonnet to Michael Sexton’s inspired direction. He has an iron grip on the text and has created a constant sense of the battle charge – a fast, furious attack on the senses where we are placed literally in the center of the action...The 12-strong cast feel like hundreds of people encircling us. The casting is just brilliant with every actor bringing exquisite performances...It’s the perfect piece to unsettle oneself and bring up debates around the nature of power and politics."
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Show Showdown
November 6th, 2016

"The similarities to today are perhaps over-emphasized--no one would have missed them!--but it doesn't hurt the excellent production. The production's main strength is a relentless energy that pulls the audience from scene to scene...On the other hand, it has a cost. Actors play multiple characters, and it isn't always clear who's who...However, this 'Coriolanus' is one of the most emotionally rewarding productions of Shakespeare I've seen in a while."
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New York Theatre Review
November 3rd, 2016

"Eschewing high gloss in favor of high craftsmanship, Red Bull’s 'Coriolanus' commits to Shakespeare’s social reality where an entire body politic is active in its own demise...The play’s cultural reflections to today, sometimes in the form of direct references, are sprinkled in like spice...The entire ensemble has crafted this work with delicacy...Director Michael Sexton clearly has equal respect for the play as its tangible self, and the play in its response to current politics."
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The Week
November 2nd, 2016

"An exceptional production...As conceived by director Michael Sexton, it could have been written this year...We barely need the explication he provides, as the parable is still operative today, used by Wall Street’s defenders to describe banking’s necessary function in allocating capital...Sexton’s production is careful to make its critical correspondences between then and now promiscuously bipartisan."
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