A Suitably Bloody ‘Titus Andronicus’ Is Also Witty and Thoughtful

None of Shakespeare’s plays are gorier than “Titus Andronicus.” Body parts are severed, murders committed early and often, and at the end two characters who have recently been disposed of are — spoiler alert, if you haven’t read or seen it — served in a pie.As a program note for Red Bull Theater’s new off-Broadway staging of “Titus” reminds us, critics initially believed that young Will — the Bard was still in his twenties when he wrote it — wouldn’t have crafted something so grisly, at least on his own; later scholars, based on stylistic elements, have identified George Peele, an English playwright and poet, as a probable collaborator.However the creative process actually broke down, “Titus” remains, if not one of Shakespeare’s more universally beloved works, a tempting vehicle for any director drawn to flamboyant theatricality. Jesse Berger, Red Bull’s founder and producing artistic director, has put together a pulsing, deliciously witty (pardon the adverb) production that fully delivers on that count, without sacrificing discipline.The blood-soaked plot unfolds here against Broadway veteran Beowulf Boritt’s stark, elegant set, which represents Rome largely through gray columns that become splattered with red. Red and black are also prominent, especially in scenes depicting more formal gatherings, in Emily Rebholz’s costume design, which leans contemporary without reaching too hard either towards a distinct era or away from the play’s original setting.The cast is the main attraction, of course, starting with the leading man, Patrick Page, whose extensive experience on this turf was the inspiration for “All the Devils Are Here: How Shakespeare Created the Villain,” a one-man triumph that the actor wrote and toured in after its New York premiere. The basso-voiced Mr. Page had previously earned acclaim playing heavies and more nuanced and comical roles in shows ranging from classical dramas to Disney musicals.In Titus, the Roman general who makes the grave mistake of refusing the title of emperor and instead bestowing it on the previous owner’s elder son, setting off the chain of violent events that will define the play, Mr. Page has a marvelous showcase not only for the towering presence he has brought to a range of weighty, often dark roles but, given the unimaginable suffering this character endures, for his capacity for vulnerability and tenderness.As adapted by Mr. Page and helmed by Mr. Berger — the two streamlined and edited the original text, with Ayanna Thompson serving as dramaturg — this “Titus” also provides Mr. Page and his fellow players ample opportunities to show off their comedic skills. Matthew Amendt gets to have particular fun as Saturninus, the ambitious but feckless man-child whom Titus appoints emperor, portrayed here as a preening brat given to puerile tantrums.Francesca Faridany is as sexy as she is venomous in the role of Tamora, queen of the Goths and Titus’s nemesis, who marries Saturninus and, after Titus has her youngest son killed, uses her new status to embark on a spree of vengeance. Jesse Aaronson and Adam Langdon are by turns hilarious and horrifying as her other sons, Chiron and Demetrius, who are as childish and loutish as their new stepfather but even more sinister, as evidenced by the play’s most graphically hideous crime.That crime becomes the catalyst for Titus’s own orgy of revenge, which is summoned here with a Grand Guignol verve that may put you in mind of “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street,” down to Jiyoun Chang’s crimson lighting and Shannon Slaton’s sound, which builds to a piercing whistle.Enid Graham, always excellent, helps ground the production as Titus’s virtuous sister, Marcia — traditionally it’s his brother, Marcus — and McKinley Belcher III powerfully performs the key role of Aaron, a Moor whom Tamora takes as her lover. Aaron is at once a despicable villain and a man lacking in privilege; in one scene, Mr. Berger has him watch with obvious disdain as Tamora’s spoiled kids chug beer and flip the cans.McKinley Belcher III as Aaron and Francesca Faridnay as Marcia in ‘Titus Andronicus.’ Carol RoseggRace becomes an even more prominent factor when Tamora gives birth to a baby fathered by the Moor, represented by a small bundle that’s carried around the stage — first with great tenderness by Mr. Belcher’s Aaron, then with rather more indifference by Lucius, one of Titus’s sons, played with an easy nobility by Anthony Michael Lopez.Lucius emerges as the sole survivor of Titus’s numerous offspring; the gruesome fates suffered by a few of his siblings are illustrated just as graphically as you’d expect. “Titus Andronicus” is never for the faint of heart, but by embracing that, Messrs. Berger and Page and their cohorts have made this tragedy a fabulous, albeit thoughtful, romp — a show that will make you laugh and cringe, sometimes at once, always delightedly.

A Suitably Bloody ‘Titus Andronicus’ Is Also Witty and Thoughtful

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