Gory-Olanus

May 20 2007 By Sarah Robertson, The Sunday Sun

Coriolanus, Theatre Royal, Newcastle

The RSC has been visiting Newcastle for 30 years and their anniversary production of Coriolanus is typical of the high standard we have come to expect from the UK's leading theatre company.

Written 400 years ago - and called the least dated of Shakespeare's plays - the bloody tragedy exploded into gory action at the Theatre Royal.

The play tells the story of aristocratic warrior Caius Martius Coriolanus, played by William Houston. Full of testosterone and brawn, he swaggers on stage flashing his six-pack . . . every inch a Roman hero. But he is overshadowed by the weighty Timothy West as Menenius, whose deep, melodic voice is perfect for Shakespeare's rich language.

Director Gregory Doran steers away from the shock tactics of recent productions by Peter Hall and Steven Berkhoff to create a traditional adaptation that has lost none of its complexity.