Haven Theatre Presents TITUS ANDRONICUS Review: Shakespeare Does Tarantino

On stage sits an Afro-futuristic griot turned tribal dancer (Andre McGraw). As the play begins, we see an overture of movement, dance, and violence culminating in real-time with the end of a war. Soon thereafter, the Andronici take the stage, and Titus Andronicus (Colin Jones), the general of the Roman Army, declares they’ve just won a victory over the Goths. As a reward to the gods, they choose a Goth to be sacrificed: a young man who happens to be Tamora (Michaela Petro), the Queen of Goths’ son. She pleads for his life, but there is no mercy. Revenge boils and ensues, and ensues, and ensues, and ensues—a hand here, a head there, blood everywhere.

Haven Director Thoughtfully Casts Potentially Problematic Characters

As many old pieces of literature unfortunately do, in this writer’s opinion, Titus Andronicus is known to have a problematic character – Aaron the Moor. The only character of color specifically written into the play, Aaron is a Machiavellian villain– a character from which all evil stems. Ian Damont Martin, Director and Artistic Director, tackles this issue by casting an incredibly diverse and talented group of players, bringing, as he states, “often marginalized identities to the center of this work.” He adds, “When a Black person embodies a text and world wherein characters say exactly what they think and feel, ultimately in an effort to harvest empathy and understanding – it is a ripe and refreshing piece of catharsis.”

The weight of Shakespeare’s language can be a true labor of love for many actors, but in this writer’s view, the bulk of the ensemble appeared hardly phased by it. In particular, Michaela Petro’s full embodiment of Tamora was a thrill to watch, and Christopher Wayland’s take on Saturninus (the Emperor) was hilarious. However, even for all its successes, the play does pose a few challenges. It isquite long, and you too might have felt it dragging at times.  In addition, many of the design elements fall a little flat in comparison to the high quality of acting, and grandeur of the theater space itself.

A Shakespeare Play for Lovers of Gore

This show is recommended to lovers and non-lovers of the Bard alike. For lovers of the Swan of Avon, enjoy one of his lesser-staged works presented thoughtfully, passionately, and at times, delightfully facetiously. For non-lovers, enjoy a Quentin Tarantino-esque story juxtaposed with some epic poetry. In addition, if you hate Romeo and Juliet’s mushy love story, but think you’d enjoy the harrowing experience of seeing someone stabbed in the just eye mere feet away from you, Titus Andronicus may be the Shakespeare play for which you’ve been waiting.

Cast:

Trevor Bates (Demetrius), Brian Bradford (Mutius/Young Lucius), Tarina Bradshaw (Lavinia), Jemima Charles (Ensemble), LaKecia Harris (Bassianus), Gregory D. Hicks (Lucius), Benjamin T. Jenkins (Quintus), Christopher Wayland Jones (Saturninus), Colin Jones (Titus), Morgan Lavenstein (Chiron), James Lewis (Martius), Gabrielle Lott-Rogers (Marcus), Andre McGraw (Clown), Danyelle Monson (Nurse), Andrew Neftalí Perez (Aaron), Michaela Petro (Tamora), Shane Richlen (Alarbus) and Christopher Vizurraga (Ensemble).

Creative Team:

Sydney Lynne Thomas (scenic design), Lily Walls (costume design), Adrienne Johnson (lighting design), Sarah Espinoza (sound design), Adrian Hadlock and Mealah Heidenreich (props design), R&D Choreography (violence design), Micah Figueroa (intimacy design), Leon Evans (movement design), Ada Alozie (assistant director), Dani Wieder (dramaturg), Angela Salinas (production manager), Nicholas Reinhart (associate production manager), Blake Cordell (master electrician), Angela Mix (wardrobe lead), Emily Marrazzo (stage manager) and Angela Matera (assistant stage manager).

When:

Through March 05, 2020

Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 pm
Sundays at 3 pm.

Please note: there will be an added performance on Saturday, March 14 at 3 pm
there will not be a performance on Saturday, March 14 at 7:30 pm.

Where:

The Den Theatre's Heath Mainstage
1331 N. Milwaukee Ave.
Chicago

Tickets:

$35+

Check for Half-Price Deals from Hot Tix:

For full-priced tickets and ticket availability visit Haven website

Photos by Austin D. Oie.

Note: Picture This Post reviews are excerpted by Theatre in Chicago

About the Author:

Lauren Lynch is a Chicago-based theatremaker by night and education administrator by day. She has undergraduate degrees in Theatre and English from Austin Peay State University and an MFA in Arts Administration from Texas Tech University. When she's not at work or seeing/creating theatre, you can find her enthusiastically playing board games with friends or stealing cuddles from her dog, Harry Pupper.