Bloody Wonderful

               Shakespeare. What can you say about him? Greatest playwright in human history...author of phrases still found in our lexicon today...master storyteller whose works explore the very foundations of human nature...boring...

                Excuse me, what was that last one?

                Well, Shakespeare isn't exactly boring, it's just that ears raised with nonwords like "gotta," "hafta," "wanna" and other slop that currently passes for English can find the Bard's poetic iambic pentameter a bit daunting.

                Shakespeare's subject matter, however, is anything but dull. In fact, some of his works are bloodier than many of today's popular horror films.

                Case in point, "Titus Andronicus," now playing in the "haunted ruins" of the Patapsco Female Institute Historic Park, courtesy of the Chesapeake Shakespeare Company (CSC).

                According to my ever-well-informed theater companion, the "Female Institute" was a 19^th century boarding school for young ladies who unfortunately had a tendency to die from pneumonia given the rather wet and chilly confines of the area in Ellicott City. "It's believed the ghost of one of the dead girls still haunts the ruins," she said.

                So what better place to hold a performance of "Titus," a play detailing the horrible misfortunes of the titular Roman general (Scott Alan Small) and his family. If you're keeping a death-and-maiming score sheet, you'll note one de-tongued, de-handed and brutally deflowered daughter;  two wrongly decapitated sons;  another son dead by his own father's hand; said father's hand chopped off; one murdered husband...well, you get the idea. Not a good time to be an Andronicus.

                "I wasn't bored at all," my companion noted, and I agreed as CSC's performance really moves, both in tempo and physically--scenes jump from place to place, sometimes within the ruins, sometimes without.  The audience itself becomes part of the play from the very first scene, as attendees are divided into two camps and bid to chant the names of Saturninus (Dylan Myers), the eldest son of a now deceased Emperor, and Saturninus' brother, Bassianus (Dave Gamble), as the two vie to win the people's favor and receive the crown.

                The CSC ensemble delivers a first rate performance;  particular crowd favorites were Tamora, Queen of the Goths (Valerie Fenton) who smoothly switches from sweet beguiling wife to iron-clad harpy as she twists the will of Saturninus whenever she pleases.  Jose Guzman's Aaron the Moor, an Iagoesque figure, was the character one loved to hate;  Guzman delivers his lines with a delicious mix of humor and venom so appropriate for the architect of much of the mayhem that occurs on stage.  

                And as I've noted, there's plenty of that.  "Because of the graphic violence and sexual assault in the play, this production is not recommended for children under 14," the CSC press materials note, and it is indeed a good idea to keep the little ones away. Even adults--particularly the women--visibly cringed during the scene where Lavinia (Jenny Crooks) entreats Tamora in vain to spare her from the foul hands of the Goth Queen's loathsome sons, Chiron (James Jager) and Demetrius (Brandon Mitchell). For those of us who know the play, the scene is somewhat bearable by the knowledge that these two villains will be delivered, quite literally, to their just desserts!

                Play attendees are encouraged to bring a flashlight to help make their way around the ruins; expect to also receive a glow stick to help distinguish where other patrons may be standing or walking.

                "Titus Andronicus" continues its run now through Oct. 31^st, Thursdays through Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 6 p.m. Tickets for "Titus Andronicus" may be purchased online at www.chesapeakeshakespeare.com or by calling 866-811-4111 immediately prior to the performance a the box office. Due to limited capacity, patrons are encouraged to buy their tickets in advance. For groups of 10 or more, call 410-313-8874. Tickets are $25-$30; students, $15. For general information, call the CSC offices at 410-313-8874.

 

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