Endorsements

This book is a study of twenty stage productions, adaptations and screen versions of Shakespeare's final Roman play. It makes available for the first time sustained discussions of major productions of the play in four languages and five countries, and explores how Shakespeare's mature and austere drama, arguably the most political in the canon, has been shaped to circumstances radically different from its original early modern staging. Following a survey of the play in performance from the seventeenth to the late nineteenth centuries, the book offers in-depth analyses of a dozen Coriolanus productions covering the postwar era up to the twenty-first century. Taking up such issues as the enduring legacy of 'star' actors in staging Shakespeare, the role of national cultural institutions in moulding Shakespearean performance, and the tremendous influence of German director Bertolt Brecht on modern theatre and Shakespeare production, it also addresses questions of literary, televisual and cinematic adaptation. This volume combines close readings of production documents, interviews, press reviews and broad historical contextualization to examine the use of Shakespeare by The BBC, The Berliner Ensemble, The Katona József Theatre in communist Hungary, the Royal Shakespeare Company, Britain's National Theatre, The New York Shakespeare Festival, Robert Lepage's Théâtre Rèpere, Shakespeare's Globe Theatre and Ralph Fiennes' major motion picture. It will be of interest to a wide range of readers, including specialists, graduate students and undergraduates studying both Coriolanus and the history of Shakespearean performance.