Headlock Theatre’s loyal adaptation of Shakespeare’s lesser-known tragedy is packed with academic subtlety and nimble exploration. Sexualised and violent, the production matches the original viciousness of Shakespeare’s text. Tracking the interweaved plots of the Andronicus family and the Goths, the play depicts the factions’ battle for revenge after the rape of Titus’s daughter and death of Tamora’s sons. Mingling dance sequences with physical theatre, this is a highly dramatised version of the original action. Cleverly interpreted and brutally realised, the production occasionally drifts into predictability, as most ‘interpretive’ performances use sexualisation too readily. Managing to just avoid this by blending scenes of straight acting, the company more than succeed with this traditional piece of Shakespearean drama.
theSpace On Niddry Street, 15 – 20 Aug, 5.50pm (6.45pm), £5.00 – £7.00, fpp306.
tw rating 4/5
[ajl]
Sections: by Andrew Latimer - ED2011 Theatre Reviews - tw rating 4/5 | Tags: Headlock Theatre, Space Venues
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