Drama • Saturninus
(Michael Dias) and his bride-to-be
Tamora (Elisabeth Roche) Keith Ian
Polakoff
Titus • Titus
(Tara Henry) serves a human meatpie to
ruling couple Satarninus (Michael Dias)
and Tamora (Elisabeth Roche). Kieth Ian
Polakoff
Titus Andronicus full of blood, dispair, insanity
By
Jamie Rowe
Online Forty-Niner
Editor in Chief
They say hell hath no fury like that of a woman scorned. William Shakespeare
took this saying to heart when he wrote “Titus Andronicus.”
Partly set in the Roman Empire, partly set at no particular time, this play
follows Roman General Titus Andronicus and his family after his victorious
return from war with the Goths. Titus brings with him Tamora, queen of the
Goths, and three of her children: Alarbus, who is sacrificed to make up for
the death of 21 of Titus’ sons, Chiron and Demetrius.
Alarbus’ sacrifice creates a fury in Tamora unknown in hell. This is
when she begins to plot against the Andronici, including Titus’s four
remaining sons and his only daughter, Lavinia.
With the help of her lover, Aaron the Moor, she manages to kill three of the
sons, banish the fourth, rape and mutilate Lavinia, take Titus’ hand,
kill Lavinia’s husband Bassianus, who is also the emperor’s brother
and kill various servants. In turn the Andonichi kill Emerperor Satuninus,
Aaron, and Chiron and Demetrius, whom
Titus turns into a meat pie and feeds to Tamora before killing her.
The University Players’ rendition of this work showed off the abilities
of the Cal State Long Beach students to bring to light a story written 500
years ago.
While it should be noted in Shakespeare’s version most of the characters
are men (excluding Tamora and Lavinia); director Edgar Landa chose to fill
many of the main roles, specifically Chiron and Titus, with female actresses.
In Chiron’s case he wanted a woman to be a part of Lavinia’s rape,
but with Titus he thought Tara Henry’s audition proved she was right
for the role. He made an excellent choice with both of these actresses.
Arin Gullen as Chiron brought out a level of viciousness suited to one of Shakespeare’s
bloodiest works and yet she also brought a moderately delicate feel to the
character, especially when she begged for mercy before dying.
Henry played the strong military mother well. From dancing around after explaining
what was in the meat pie to voluntarily letting Aaron cut off her hand to save
her sons, she made Titus’ insanity scenes come to life.
Some of the theatrical elements were so innovative they almost outshone the
actors’ performances. The most memorable was the scene where Chiron and
Demetrius (played incredibly well by Jeremy Aluma) shot at various cast members
with airsoft guns, much like the carnival game where contestants shoot at ducks
for a prize. The actors who were shot at did a great job of imitating their
ducky counterparts.
However, the most effective element was the humming the various members of
the cast did to accompany Lavinia’s rape and mutilation scene. Providing
an acapella-esque soundtrack to the scene gave it more depth.
Screams coming from the humming cast instead of from Lavinia created a sense
of detachment, getting into some of the survivor psychology.
The costuming for this production is fabulous. The clothing can represent each
of the characters’ personalities.
Saturninus’ eccentricity and flamboyance are evident in his fur-collared
coat. Titus’ general-like uniform, the sons’ and soldiers’ fatigues
gave the sense of a military family united for a common cause. Tamora’s
skimpy clothing as a slave then her an elegant, calf-lengthed, black coat as
the Empress showed her willingness to change her appearance to suit her needs.
The cast and crew did a wonderful job re-creating Shakespeare’s “Titus
Andronicus.” They pulled together many of the elements necessary to bring
out the work’s true beauty in a form anyone can understand and relate
to. Bravo to them all. The play runs through March 30 at the Studio Theatre.
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