SOURCE: Liston, William T. Review of Coriolanus. Theatre Journal 55, no. 4 (2003): 725-26.

In the following review, Liston critiques director David Farr's 2003 production of Coriolanus at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, remarking on the ritualistic, stylized atmosphere of the production and Greg Hicks's fascinating, contemptuous Coriolanus.

Coriolanus, directed by David Farr, was costumed as if set in the Samurai era of Japan. Three warriors were seated on low stools at the rear of the stage with their backs to the audience oblivious to the opening scene of rioting citizens including several women. A red circle on the floor often contained the action and defined who was in and out. This production distinguished simply and clearly the various factions in Rome. A copper-toned semi-circular back wall signified stone or marble thereby emphasizing the lack of softness and humanity. Guns and cigarettes blurred any real sense of medieval Japan or...