"There is so much blood and gore in Shakespeare's Titus Andronicus that, at some points, the audience cannot help but laugh. By the time his sons' severed heads are brought to him in plastic bags, even Titus himself begins to laugh. Why, he says, when confronted for his giggling, I have not another tear to shed. Titus Andronicus is one of Shakespeare's earliest plays, and it is one of his least subtle."
"This RSC production at Hampstead Theatre, transferred from Stratford, leans into the lack of subtlety. There are buckets and hosepipes filled with blood, severed heads and hands in bags. The floor of the set is designed by Joanna Scotcher to look like a white slab of marble, emphasising the blood in which it is drenched. Audience members sat in the front row are given splash blankets to protect them."
"All the elements of the production are executed (if you pardon the pun) superbly: from the set, to the sound design (Tingying Dong) and haunting music (Matthew Herbert and Benjamin Kwasi Burrell), to the lighting (Lee Curran) and practical effects that allow hands to be chopped off in front of our eyes. Scenes are shocking when they need to be and slapstick when they can afford to be played for laughs."
The RSC production at Hampstead Theatre emphasizes relentless gore and revenge, presenting a Rome consumed by vengeance. The staging uses buckets, hosepipes, severed heads and hands in bags, and a white-marble floor drenched in blood; front-row audience members receive splash blankets. Joanna Scotcher's set, Tingying Dong's sound design, Matthew Herbert and Benjamin Kwasi Burrell's music, Lee Curran's lighting, and convincing practical effects create a visceral spectacle. Scenes shift between shocking violence and dark slapstick. Ken Nwosu's Aaron is both devilish and devoted, and the production prioritises visceral impact over subtlety and moral restraint.
Read at www.london-unattached.com
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