Coriolanus

Coriolanus by William Shakespeare, The Ninagawa Theatre Company, Japan
Barbican Theatre, London, 26 April 2007

OK, so it's a three-hour play about revenge. In Japanese. And if you sit near the front you have to crane your neck left or right to catch the surtitles as they flash by, while trying to keep an eye on what's happening on stage.

Also, it's a play about revenge. Everyone's very angry. They speak very fast. In Japanese. There's lots of yelling and arguing. And fighting. And crying.

But it's impressive. The set is sloped, thanks to a set of faux-stone steps leading up to backdrops that slide away to take you between scenes outside Rome's Capitol and Corioli. The whole thing is like something out of a Kurosawa movie, with elaborate costumes, choreographed swordfights, an epic score, and even some climactic blood-spurting that Tarantino would be proud of. Coriolanus, despite speaking very fast, puts in an excellent performance, as does his mother, a guilt-tripping, manipulative wench that is nevertheless the heroine of the story. It's an exhaustive evening, but well worth the effort.