Darko Tresnjak is a sick, sick man. Artistic director of the Old Globe’s Shakespeare Festival, he takes “Titus Andronicus,” the Bard’s bloody revenge tragedy, and makes of it a bloody musical, rife with songs like “Comedy Tonight,” “The Teddy Bear’s Picnic,” “He Had It Comin'” and, most outrageously, “I Want to Hold Your Hand.” He further ameliorates the gore ” beheadings, mutilation and mounting piles of corpses ” with Samuel Barber’s “Adagio for Strings” and during the “banquet” scene the Intermezzo from “Madama Butterfly.”
Not all will agree that such sickness amounts to genius. Shakespeare wrote this early comedy to parody the revenge tragedies so popular at the time. Nonetheless, “Titus” straight up is hard to bear, and in many modern productions the gore is abstract. Be that as it may, gore is still gore, and some will be more aghast than amused by the overload of the appalling and the glee with which it is served up.
Those expecting the kind of Timon Anthony Hopkins played to excess in Julie Taymor’s recent film should stay home. The Titus of Leonard Kelly-Young is much saner, though the production is just as imaginative and takes fewer liberties with Shakespeare’s plot.
In Tresnjak’s stage production, only the stabbing of Tamora’s son by Titus’ soldier is gory. After that the director presents a series of ever-more abstract ways to represent “stage blood.” It’s deliciously vicious. The myriad means shall not be revealed, but be assured they range from hilarious to utterly surprising and strangely beautiful.
Briefly, Titus Andronicus (Leonard Kelly-Young) returns to Rome, having defeated the Goths in battle. He’s fought for 40 years and has lost 21 valiant sons in battle. His brother, Senator Marcus Andronicus (Charles Janasz), proclaims Titus emperor, much to the displeasure of Saturninus (Wynn Harmon) and Bassianus (Karl Kenzler), sons of the deceased emperor. Declaring he wants the staff of honor more than the scepter of rule, Titus names Saturninus emperor, awarding him his daughter Lavinia (Melissa Condren) to rule jointly. Saturninus spurns Lavinia in favor of the sultry captive Tamora, Queen of the Goths (Celeste Ciulla).
Tamora’s secret lover, Aaron the Moor (UCSD master of fine arts graduate Owiso Odera), promises Tamora that he will avenge Titus’ merciless slaying of her son. He authors several diabolical and grisly incidents, most heinous of which is Lavinia’s rape and mutilation. Her own brothers are blamed and executed when in truth Tamora’s sons Chiron (Michael Urie) and Demetrius (Michael A. Newcomer) are guilty. Because Lavinia’s tongue has been cut out, she cannot tell who her abductors are.
The company is exceptional. In addition to the aforementioned, J. Paul Boehmer is excellent as Titus’ banished son Lucius, who raises an army in exile, bent upon destroying the evil ruling pair. Lucius, Marcus and Lucius’ son (Michael Drummond) are the only Andronici left standing at the end of the play. How many bodies? Who was counting? The bloodbath was jolly good fun.
Hard pressed to pick a favorite, I’d recommend all three productions of the Old Globe’s Shakespeare Festival 2006. “Titus Andronicus,” “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” and “Othello” continue in rotating repertory at the outdoor Lowell Davies Festival Theatre in Balboa Park through Oct. 1. For additional information and tickets visit www.theoldglobe.org or call (619) 23-GLOBE.
