Fare Thee Well, Coriolanus
Soft petals fall within our Hearts, upon
A Quiet Stage; the lights grow dim, and soon
We find the Peace that Silence brings; For drawn
Within our Quiet Hearts we find a Boon,
And we must follow where it leads, until
Our Parts are through; The stage, it calls; The seats,
They fill; Our Time is come again; Fulfill
We will, our Chosen toil, that chary meets
The Hearts of Men; Give Voice to Song and Tears
To Laugh; The Petals are softly swirling;
Before the Curtain falls its last, Joy nears
The Bittersweet touch of final Calling.
Break two last legs, Dear Friends, for our dear Joys,
Then best of wishes, in your next Employs.
Contents: Christine thanks the Donmar for this amazing show with a goodbye sonnet.
In January of 2014, we flew to London and saw Coriolanus. We were lucky enough to get tickets for two performances, a Saturday matinee and a Wednesday evening show. In this conversation, (broken into you-tube digestible sections), we discuss both performances and our reactions to the presentation. Neither of us had seen or read Coriolanus before.
Coriolanus 1: Serendipity
Contents: Introduction and How We Got Good Seats
Coriolanus 2: Squares and Tragedy
Contents: We Talk of Metaphorical Squares and Honor
Coriolanus 3: Rivalry
Contents: We Talk of Martius and Aufidius
Coriolanus 4: Mob Mentality
Contents: We Talk of Mob Mentality after Christine Recites Sonnet 124
Coriolanus 5: The Mom
Contents: We Talk of Volumnia, Brain Explosions, and… Christine quotes herself
Coriolanus 6: Asking Coriolanus to Die
Contents: We Talk of Coriolanus’ Family and Their Last Request of Him
Coriolanus 7: The General and More Squares
Contents: We Talk of the General and Recap Maggie’s Squares
Coriolanus 8: Comparing Two Performances
Contents: We Talk of Ash, Compare Saturday’s Matinee with Wednesday’s Evening Performance, and Maggie Thanks the Donmar and Cast for Changing Her Life
Coriolanus 9: Thank You Donmar
Contents: We Laugh and Thank the Donmar for Our Experience by Reciting Poetry Inspired by the Play and its Role in Our Trip. (The thanking begins around 1:40)
All of our Coriolanus Conversation is up! We wish the Donmar cast and crew good luck with tomorrow’s National Theater Live broadcast! Break A Leg! (Just not the chair leg that keeps getting caught in the grating…)
