NT Live Encore: Coriolanus, Donmar Warehouse ****

This was the first NT Live screening I have attended and, whilst not a replacement for the live experience, it is a reasonable alternative for sold out shows or ones far away. It can occasionally feel annoying with some weird camera angles and amateur camera changes which disrupt a play's power and a feeling of intimacy, which you especially get in the Donmar, is lost on the silver screen. However, the Barbican cinema is utterly gorgeous and keeps a certain intimacy far more than my local multiplex which is only really suitable for the latest rubbish from Adam Sandler or Michael Bay. It helps that the production shown is such an energetic and powerfully bloody production of what many describe as Shakespeare's hardest play to understand. Josie Rourke's Coriolanus combines scenes of gruelling cruelty of Titus Andronicus levels (see picture above) and scenes of pure emotion to create a moving experience. Tom Hiddleston is a headstrong Caius Martius who doesn't become aware of his faults until it is too late to rectify them. However, it isn't a 'lead' performance in the same vain of Benedict Cumberbatch and Nicole Kidman. He is very much one of a collective of actors. Hadley Fraser is a revelation to me as Aufidius as he never seemed to me like a straight actor but, like Julian Ovendan, he makes the transition well and is a menacing figure who commands the stage well. Mark Gatiss is wonderful as Caius Martius' friend Menenius, possessing the charm and wit that Gatiss brings to every role he takes on. Deborah Findlay is a headstrong mother and plays Volumnia with strength and gusto, which makes the later scenes even more distressing, in particular the final shot that is theatrical genius from Josie Rourke. She and designer Lucy Osborne manage to bring Rome to fit inside the Donmar which is impressive and the clever use of Andrzej Goulding's video designs create a production that I am glad I have caught up with. For all its faults, NT Live does provide a useful service and I will be coming back to it for the occasional production in the future.