I thoroughly enjoyed Sheffield’s The Company’s production of Shakespeare’s Titus Andronicus. It is, perhaps, Shakespeare’s darkest and most violent play, and it deals with issues such as political violence, racism and misogyny that are just as relevant today as they were when Shakespeare was writing it in the 1590s. This is why The Company have decided to stage Titus Andronicus in 2025; they want to show their “audience, first hand, where this slippery slope can lead.”
I thought that the standard of acting was very high throughout the performance and that the portrayal of the emotions hiding behind the violence was very convincing. Adam Booth (he/him) as Titus Andronicus, Monica Gallo (she/her) as Tamara and Iona Wilkins (she/her) as Aaron particularly stood out to me as truly encapsulating the essence of their respective characters and getting the audience to sympathise with them at many moments in the play. I was also very impressed by Alison Mitchell’s (she/her) portrayal of Lavinia, especially in the second half of the play when she had to perform without speaking or using her hands. Her performance meant that, for me, Lavinia stood out as the most innocent victim of violence in the play.
The Company’s version of Titus Andronicus has been adapted to have a 1960s gangland setting. Whilst I can see how this would work well with the themes of the play, unfortunately I did not find it a very convincing setting on stage. I did not spot many distinctive markers of a 1960s setting within the stage or costume design, although the use of guns, newspapers and a sofa did firmly set it at some point within the 20th century. Despite this minor let down, I still felt that The Company successfully conveyed the message that the violence and hatred present in Titus Andronicus are not isolated to its original Roman setting, or even to Tudor England, but that they are issues that are still prevalent within modern society.
Overall, I would really recommend going to see The Company’s Titus Andronicus and maybe you’ll be better prepared to spot the signs of the 1960’s gangland setting than I was! You can catch it at the Sheffield University Drama Studio tonight (Saturday 11th October) at 7.30pm and you can buy tickets online.
Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
