Lantern Theater Company presents Shakespeare's 'Coriolanus'

This one doesn't. Parallels remain for our consideration, but the modern trappings of McMahon's version -- expressed best by Janus Stefanowicz's stylish costumes, mixing black leather and heavy boots with machine guns (arsenal by props masters Avista Custom Theatrical Services) -- create a 21st-century fantasy, not a contemporary statement.

Not that there's anything wrong with that

Must a Shakespeare production comment on current events and issues? Of course not. Coriolanus is a wild ride, starting with Rome's discontented Plebians lurking ominously during the house manager's preshow announcements. Battle scenes feel huge on Meghan Jones's theater-encompassing set, which suggests a city in need of infrastructure improvements. These scenes are punctuated by Robert Kaplowitz's thrilling war drums and seat-shaking sound design. A live video feed by projection designer Michael Long, with actors playing "Channel 7 SPQR" news reporters, allows key events to be projected live on two walls.

The story can be challenging to follow, particularly since the title character -- named for fight director J. Alex Cordaro's spectacularly staged military victory at Corioles -- doesn't elicit sympathy. Not that Robert Lyons isn't impressively intense as the consummate warrior manipulated by his mother Volumnia (an outstanding Tina Packer) into pursuing a political campaign that soon tests his patience. However, when he dismisses the worshipful lower classes and fawning politicians and they turn on him -- "Coriolanus defends himself" is a "breaking news" headline -- he seems as shallow as those he despises.

Second act clarity

After intermission, the ensemble of Lantern regulars plays fewer roles, events become more personal, and Coriolanus's revenge for his banishment begins. Charlie DelMarcelle turns in a powerful performance as Coriolanus's nemesis-turned-ally Aufidius, and David Bardeen and Brian McCann make deliciously unctuous politicians. The production builds effectively to a spectacular finale.

McMahon's staging sometimes leaves us out. Audience members seated to stage right in the three-sided configuration must twist to see a walkway behind their seats, and those in the center get blocked by actors disconcertingly set in straight lines facing upstage. Still, experiencing Shakespeare in an intimate setting is a treat. Characters talk rather than declaim, and we can clearly see them listening and thinking. Though they're not thinking about today's issues of class, power, and ambition, we're free to do so. And we should, because Coriolanus contains worthwhile observations about what happens when governance becomes ruled by personal ambition.

See this production, and then see Shakespeare in Clark Park's outdoor version July 26 to 30, featuring Charlotte Northeast as Coriolanus, which will surely provide a different point of view.