Last Night at Stratford

Mary and I drove to Stratford-upon-Avon on Saturday to see the final night of Coriolanus and the closing of the Royal Shakespeare Company theatre - fear not, they're rebuilding another one (let's hope it doesn't take as long as Wembley Stadium). It was a very special occasion for me, as the first play I ever saw at Stratford was Coriolanus with Laurence Olivier playing the lead, so there was something of a dignified symmetry in seeing the same play when they closed the theatre. William Houston was outstanding as Coriolanus, though I confess I thought he was better as Sejanus which Mary and I saw last year. But there were two performances that stood out for me and will long remain in my memory - Timothy West's measured portrayal of Menenius reminds us that Mr West is one of our great actors, and the performance of Janet Suzman as Volumnia was nothing less than brilliant. The scene where Coriolanus is visited by his mother, wife and son, was one of the most outstanding pieces of direction I have seen in 40 years. I've watched Gregory Doran's work over many years, and among my favourites is Cyrano de Berjerac, Macbeth and Much Ado About Nothing, and have reached that stage that whenever I see his name on a poster, I ring the box office and book seats immediately.