Coriolanus REVIEW 25 July 2025 ***

THEATRE

Written by William Shakespeare, by Bell Shakespeare

At  Fairfax Studio, Arts Centre Melbourne, until 10 Aug 2025

Reviewer: Kate Herbert

Stars: *** (3)

This review is published only on this blog. I’ll present a radio review on Arts Weekly on 3MBS on Sat 2 Aug 2025. KH

Coriolanus:  L-R-Peter Carroll, Hazem Shammas & (back only) image supplied

Bell Shakespeare’s 2025 production of Coriolanus, directed by Artistic Director Peter Evans, takes on one of Shakespeare’s least performed and most challenging tragedies.

 

 Coriolanus is a hard sell having no subplots, little humour, and a protagonist who is more despised than admired and lacks the nuances or inner struggles that are evident in other Shakespearean tragic lead characters. This production—while visually clean and competently staged—struggles to find the emotional depth and political ferocity the play demands.

 

Hazem Shammas, following his role as Macbeth for Bell, returns as the battle-hardened Roman general Caius Martius, later dubbed Coriolanus after his conquest of the Volscian city of Corioli. Shammas brings simmering resentment and disdain to the role, particularly in scenes with the Roman Plebeians he is expected to represent in the Senate. However, his portrayal leans more toward petulance than commanding gravitas. Coriolanus's volatile pride is present, but his inner conflict and ultimate undoing never fully ignite.

 

Brigid Zengeni as Volumnia, Coriolanus’s overbearing and militaristic mother, gives one of the more emotionally resonant performances, though the pivotal scene in which she convinces her son not to attack Rome lacks the devastating power it should carry. The moment feels rushed, and Coriolanus’s change of heart too abrupt to be believable.

 

Peter Carroll is the standout as Menenius, the canny and silver-tongued patrician who attempts to mediate between the elite and the citizenry. Carroll’s rambling delivery masks a strategic political mind, and he brings both levity and weight to an otherwise stark production.

 

Evans’s direction opts for symbolism over spectacle. Battle scenes are suggested rather than staged, with Shammas’ being ritualistically blood-smeared rather than bloodied in combat. This minimalist approach is at odds with the play’s militaristic core. The Plebeians—presented here more like scattered student protesters than desperate, disenfranchised citizens—lack cohesion and menace.

 

While the production attempts to frame the play’s themes of populism, elitism, and pride for a contemporary audience, it never fully coheres. Compared to Steven Berkoff’s intensely physical performance in 1996 (UK) , Ralph Fiennes' simmering, dangerous interpretation (BBC 2014), or David Oyelowo’s charismatic Coriolanus at the National Theatre (2024), this version feels muted and uneven.

 

by Kate Herbert

 

 CAST
Coriolanus – Hazem Shammas

Volumnia – Brigid Zengeni

Menenius – Peter Carroll

Aufidius – Anthony Taufa

Sicinius – Matilda Ridgway

Brutus (Tribune) – Marco Chiappi

Virgilia – Suzannah McDonald

Cominius – Gareth Reeves

Citizen 1 / Ensemble – Jules Billington

Titus Larcius / Ensemble – Septimus Caton

 

CREATIVE TEAM
Director – Peter Evans
Designer – Elizabeth Gadsby
Lighting Designer – Verity Hampson
Composer & Sound Designer – Max Lyandvert
Movement Director – Nigel Poulton
Voice Coach – Jess Chambers
Stage Manager – Amy Northcote