'Titus Andronicus' is not among my favourites of Shakespeare's plays, a playwright of whose lesser plays are still worth the watch and read. Of his tragedies though it is in my opinion one of his most disturbing and moving. It is very powerful when performed well, Shakespeare's dialogue is unmistakable in style and rich in emotion and the characters are typically compelling. If asked as to whether 'Titus Andronicus' is worth the watch or read or both, the answer would be yes.
Royal Shakespeare Company's 2017 account is a truly fine one. It is one of the most ambitious productions of the Royal Shakespeare Company live streamed productions done in the past decade or so and one of the most unashamedly gory. Did have reservations about whether it would work in modern dress, whether the gore would be too excessive and gratuitously so and whether the final scene (the one most difficult to do well) would fall into unintentional comedy. Didn't have a problem with either here and after recently re-visiting the company's too safe, dramatically bland and unevenly acted productions of 'Julius Caesar' and 'Antony and Cleopatra' it was great to see a return to the uncompromising, the fearlessly dramatic and searing approach much missed in those productions.
Not all the updating works, with some parts where it jars with the text that alludes to the specific time period and setting of the play.
Most of it however works surprisingly well, and thankfully the production looks great and is quite atmospheric and surprisingly lavish. Modern dress can look cheap, gimmicky and too much of a mishmash, but this is neither. Loved the way the production was shot as usual, the intimacy is just so effective. The music is hauntingly evocative with some of the sound thrilling in its authenticity.
Shakespeare's text is typically thoughtful, poetic and emotionally complex. The staging is a near triumph, not only surprisingly tasteful for a play with such a gory story but also ambitious and not afraid to take risks and take no prisoners. The play is gory, the production gets that point and it's disturbing to watch without being needless. The final scene is not unintentionally comedic, which is amazing as that is where 'Titus Andronicus' is at its weakest and with the most potential for that to happen. The production also has a lot of heart, the big scene with Titus and Lavinia is heart-wrenching. And the political and social elements present in the play are actually still relevant and don't come over as over-emphasised.
All the performances are fantastic, couldn't ask for better. David Troughton is a majestically noble and movingly conflicted on a character journey that is very tragic. Hannah Morrish does anguish with such heartfelt conviction, seeing her so broken and brutally degraded left me in shock and tears. Stefan Adegbola plays a true villainous slimeball chillingly and Nia Gwynne makes the blood curdle as Tamora. Patrick Drury is beautifully understated yet authoritative as Marcus and the brothers are brutally arrogant.
In summation, absolutely excellent. 9/10.
