C, the General

For the first time in its 21-year history, the Nashville Shakespeare Festival is presenting Coriolanus. It's a lesser tragedy in the Bard's canon, though not a bad play at all, and there are some parallels to the current presidential election cycle. More importantly, it's a strong production, for this or any other year.

In truth, neither Barack Obama nor John McCain has much in common with Coriolanus. Unlike him, they'd never dare to express blatant public disregard for the people, nor arrogantly trumpet their achievements in such a way as to alienate potential voters. Of course, the current commander in chief is another matter.

At curtain's rise, Coriolanus, an aggressive and prideful warrior, is seen as a symbol of power—and part of the reason why the teeming masses, who call for his head, are starving. The hungry hordes are assuaged by a senior Roman senator, and from there our put-upon hero goes to war again. Victorious, he returns to reap the reward of political prestige, only to be undone by a couple of jealous pols who sully his name. Eventually banished from Rome, Coriolanus seeks revenge on his own people by forging an alliance with his former enemy.

There's a lesson to be learned here: Never play both ends against the middle. (As you may have guessed, Coriolanus meets a tragic fate.)

Director Mark Cabus was originally planning to stage this drama with his own Naked Stages ensemble, but a fortuitous meeting with NSF artistic director Denice Hicks resulted in the companies joining forces.

Cabus seems very much at home working in Centennial Park, regaling his audience with an open and exceedingly active staging, including battle scenes and a violent Caesarian climax, plus a generally strong cast of principals supported gamely by the energetic NSF apprentice company.

While the Bard's text remains intact where its Roman references are concerned, Cabus' conceptualizing takes the play out of that strictly defined arena. Jonathan Hammel's set is simple yet effective, with a large scaffolding behind the playing area, which is in turn anchored by a central sand pit that hosts the main events, both physical and rhetorical. In addition, Billy Ditty's costumes are at least a few hundred years away from any toga party, with a manly simplicity for the males, and purple, magenta and burgundy hues in the females' attractive dresses.

Cabus' direction is masculine all the way, as befits a tale of warlike men and down-and-dirty politics. Besides the hand-to-hand combat—staged ably by Roy Cox—there are a few instances of realistic sucker-punching, plus the production presents us with the butchest Junius Brutus you're ever likely to see, courtesy of Brenda Sparks' cross-gender casting as the conspiring Roman.

The co-starring (real) men do very well on balance, from the rugged and buff Kamal Bolden as Coriolanus' military foe Aufidius, to the steady Matthew Carlton as the general and consul Cominius, to Jessejames Locorriere, who's particularly sharp and nuanced delivering his relatively brief speeches as the upstart tribune Sicinius. Rodrikus Springfield makes a solid NSF debut as the conciliatory Menenius; with a goodly amount of stage time, he's mostly in command and communicative. Patrick Waller is also distinctive in a small role as Coriolanus' army colleague.

The Bard's women (actually cast with women!) are no shrinking violets, either. Hicks and Jamie Farmer have less to say but do it well, while the chief distaff voice comes from Rona Carter, as Coriolanus' mother, Volumnia. Carter gets all the big moments, including an oedipal kiss on the lips from her son and the opportunity to make passionate entreaties and indulge in classical wailing and gnashing of teeth. Carter certainly doesn't lack for effort here, but when her fury subsides, there's little genuine emotional residue hanging in the air. It's an intense performance, but it leaves too much to the imagination.

Which brings us to Christopher Brown in the title role. Brooding, haughty and usually angry, he cuts a fine figure of a leading man. There seems to be little opportunity to find anything particularly likable or vulnerable in the character of Coriolanus, and that being the case, Brown excels at playing the tortured, fairly melodramatic loner. His portrayal provides the play's most apt analogy to the current political climate: Coriolanus as "W," the man who led his country to war, disdained his people and left them to face higher gas and food prices.

Production note: Filmmaker and La Noticia publisher and editor Yuri Cunza was loud, clear and literate in his guest cameo as the Herald at this past Sunday's performance. He will be followed in that role on upcoming dates by various local VIPs, including Mayor Karl Dean, John Seigenthaler, NPT's Beth Curley, news anchor Vicki Yates and, yes, even Bart Durham.

photo: Jeff Frazier