Coriolanus NYC Reviews and Tickets
Show-Score Member Reviews (131)
See it if you're fascinated how history can be just as riveting and relevant to our times as it was then. And if you like theater up close & personal.
Don't see it if you're more comfortable seeing Shakespeare on a distant, elevated stage in tony digs Read more
See it if You want a Shakespearean drama that is relevant to our elections. You want great acting & staging. You want a thought provoking drama.
Don't see it if You don't want to see a political drama. You don't like verse plays. You want contemporary dialogue.
See it if You love Shakespeare or even if you don't - just a great play. Every actor strong. Engaging direction. Coriolanus and Volumnia riveting.
Don't see it if You dislike longer shows (2+ hours). But there's not a note wrong in this production. Great "starter Shakespeare" for newbies.
See it if you want to see an inventive, imaginative, wonderful Shakespeare production. Prepare to be delighted.
Don't see it if you prefer more traditional interpretations of Shakespeare. Read more
See it if you think you don't like Shakespeare — exciting, current, ripped-from-the-headlines, superbly acted and extremely relevant for our time now.
Don't see it if you dislike political theatre of any era; violence; classics in modern dress or hearing extraordinary language clearly spoken and expressed. Read more
See it if You've always been curious about this play but have never seen it--it will never be served up better.
Don't see it if Modern dress for Shakespeare annoys you, if you don't care about seeing minor Shakespeare at all, or, if you are sick of anything political. Read more
See it if Enjoy a refreshing take on Shakespeare that comments on current electoral politics. It's all here. Great acting!!!
Don't see it if Think Shakespeare isn't relevant or you can't handle the truth.
See it if you enjoy a good modern Shakespeare. Lots of glaur and the speeches are soooo good. The star that plays the titke role is a total revelation
Don't see it if you scare easy. Lots of loud noises and chaos.
Critic Reviews (21)
"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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