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Blood. That red, watery, and staining substance that at once runs through our veins to give us life and might one day run out of us to hasten the coming of death. Such was the liquid so prominently displayed Thursday night, at the Shiva Theater, in the Philaletheis production of "Titus Andronicus." Often cited as one of Shakespeare’s worst plays, Charlie O’Malley ’11 has made an affecting and brutal rendering of this generally avoided tale.
Titus Andronicus, a Roman General, and his sons have returned victoriously from war with the Goths. They bring back with them four members of the Gothic royal family: Tamora, Queen of the Goths, and her three sons. Titus kills her eldest, beginning a long string of revenge, including murder, torture, mutilation and rape.
For all its violent plot and tendency to rely on the spectacle of blood and gore, this play is given the bad rap of being a lousy story and lacking in depth. But this production swayed me to think of it, not as a poor tragedy, but perhaps one of the greatest horror stories in the western canon.
The production had the added benefit of soaking up some of the best talent left uncast by the Drama Department this semester. That being said, there were some exceptional performances that deserve honorable mention. First is Zach Huckel-Bauer ’10 playing the role of Demetrius. At once a perpetrator of the most heinous of acts and yet somehow a recognizable rowdy teenager, Huckel-Bauer captured the charm and terror of youthful mischief gone horribly wrong. It was his commitment to the notion that his character was having fun throughout most of the play that made him particularly irksome.
Next up is Jamie Watkins ’10 in the role of Aaron. This marvelous interpretation of the Moorish outsider in this cast of characters was strikingly reminiscent of Iago. Watkins’ use of humor and, frankly, sociopathy captured a character raging against his lot in life much in the same way that the Spanish villain of Othello did.
Third is the daring and venomous portrayal of Tamora by Mary Goodwin ’09. The Queen of the Goths is a fun role to play, and Goodwin brought it to its full potential. Due to her small stature, it was particularly surprising to see her command the stage as she often did, but it clearly worked to the advantage of the production.
And finally, Ben Morrow ’11 as the title character was simply extraordinary. Morrow’s character arc was very well defined and executed with a wonderful emphasis on the fatherly element Titus. The one image I cannot shake is his eyes as he gazes at the mutilation of a loved one.
The production side of "Titus" was a bold step indeed. The playing space was utterly bare and white. This color was used simply to be sullied by the many moments of blood splattering throughout the play.
Setting was mostly established either by the text or by lighting. My opinion about this choice is that while it is unique and effective for the theme of violence, it is also dangerous. The blocking was very loose causing there to be a great deal of wandering around the stage. When there is no furnishing, all the viewer can look at are the actors. If they don’t plant their feet, the movement that does happen is less compelling. Bare-stage acting requires a great deal of physical discipline and, at the present time, that is what this production lacks.
In addition to acting on the stage, this production included a few scenes on video projected onto the stage. The first one of these was quite compelling. There were no words. It was simply a character running away from attackers. It was quite frightening. The second video projection must have taken the majority of the fourth act, and that was not as fun. This was further compounded by some technical problems with sound, which made it hard to hear. Though I am sure that this was an unintentional difficulty, this sequence was simply too long.
Despite these small glitches, this is a marvelous play chock-full of great performances and startling imagery. There is also a humor about this production that makes it a pleasure to watch. In a way, it makes fun of the audience for being so amused by such a disturbing tale.
So, whom do I recommend this for? Well, first of all, those who are in for the long haul—the play runs in the two-and-a-half-hour range. Second, those who want to see really great performances from very talented actors; this play has some great people working together who you do not want to miss. And finally, it is for those who like blood. A lot of blood.
—Dominick Trotta is a sophomore and a drama major. He has both performed and acted as a dramaturge for several shows at Vassar, as well as performed in many productions before his arrival at college.
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