Reviewed by Judy Richter
California Shakespeare Theater
is opening its
38th season with its first production of William Shakespeare's "Titus Andronicus." There's a good reason why
the drama is seldom produced. It's an early work with a plot that becomes
almost laughably melodramatic as more and more bodies litter the stage. Still,
Cal Shakes and director Joel Sass make the best of it, thanks to a strong cast and solid
production values.
Titus
Andronicus (James Carpenter) is a war hero recently returned to Rome with prisoners
in tow. Chief among them is Tamora (Stacy Ross), queen of the Goths. Titus's
refusal to spare her eldest son's life, despite her heartfelt pleas, sets off a
bloody spiral of revenge and betrayal instigated by Tamora and her secret
paramour, the villainous Aaron (Shawn Hamilton), a Moor.
Contributing
to the mayhem are Tamora's surviving sons, Demetrius (Chad Deverman) and Chiron (David Mendelsohn), who ravish and maim Titus's
daughter, Lavinia (Anna Bullard), and murder her husband, Bassianus (Liam Vincent). In the meantime, Tamora has
married Bassianus's evil brother, Saturninus (Rob Campbell), the emperor. Allied with Titus
are his son, Lucius (Nicholas Pelczar); Lucius's young son, also called Lucius (Caleb
Alexander); and
Titus's brother, Marcus (Dan Hiatt) -- the only three left standing after all the killings.
Emily
Greene's stark
concrete slab set is complemented by Russell H. Champa's lighting. The costumes are by Paloma
H. Young, who
disregards the outdoor theater's often cold nights in the dresses for Ross and
Bullard. The sound by Andre Pluess, choreography by Marybeth Cavanaugh and fight direction by David
Maier. The pale
makeup worn by most of the principals along with the masks worn by the ensemble
echoes the set's starkness. The cast is generally excellent, especially Ross.
Kudos also to Delia MacDougall, who shows her versatility as several minor characters.
Still,
there's no getting around the fact that "Titus" is one of the Bard's
lesser plays, one that can't compare to the likes of "Hamlet," which also claims quite a
few victims before its resolution.