Red Bedding

Titus Andronicus was possibly Shakespeare's first tragedy. Given its bloodiness, it has not been a particularly popular play. As I read through it in preparation for Sunday's evening performance at High Park, there were no passages that stood out for me. However, this natural amphitheatre is a great venue for this annual outdoor tradition.

For this staging, they have decided to situate the play in Japan, while keeping most the Roman-like costumes. As such, when Saturninus (James Graham) and his brother Bassianus (Alexander Plouffe) entered with their men to vie for succession, they dueled with wooden staffs and kendo blades. Marcus (Jan Alexandra Smith), now a sister to Titus (Sean Dixon), told them to stand down and welcome back her brother from many years of putting down barbarian uprisings.

The whole bloody denouement boiled down to lustful liasons. After the traditional Titus backed Saturninus' claim, the latter reciprocated by proposing marriage to Titus' daughter Laviniana (Chala Hunter). The action implied that her and Bassianus may have already had feelings for each other, which prompted him to steal her away. This angered Saturninus who, quickly and lustfully, turned to the captured queen Tamora (Shauna Black). She was livid at Titus for sacrificing her eldest Alarbus to consecrate the burial of his warrior son. Meanwhile, her illicit lover Aaron (Beau Dixon) encouraged her children Chiron (Gwenlyn Cumyn) and Demetrius (Michael Man) to kill Bassianus and rape Lavinia. This led to an inevitable chain of consequences that included killings, beheadings, severed tongues, chopped-off hands, and "long pig" pies. By the end, the body count would daunt even George R.R. Martin.

I thought too many characters were played as petulant man-children: Saturninus, Chiron, and Demetrius. At the same time, Titus did not come across as an honourable but overly rigid general. He seemed more an old man, constantly bewildered by events. So it became a tragedy by people who just sort of let things get screwed up, instead of deep and abiding enmity. Aaron was a powerful force especially at those who sneered at his "black hue". Marcus as a woman also made her a great presence (which was unfortunately not seen with Tamora), and also made more poignant her interactions with Lavinia after her rape. An interesting production, but not memorable.