Category Archives: Shakespeare

Titus Andronicus

Drama, Off-Broadway, Shakespeare March 30, 2026 Leave a comment

Titus Andronicus was Shakespeare’s first “stab” at tragedy.  Unlike his soon-to-arrive Romeo and Juliet, it has no characters to fully invest in and bears many of the hallmarks of a brilliant and driven playwright who has not yet grasped the subtle art of developing a tragic hero.  The excitement is derived from the adrenaline of brutality, a device not apparent in the rest of his Folio. In fact scholars now think that Act 1 (maybe more) was written contemporaneously with George Peele.

The title character is a brave General in the Roman Army recently returned victorious over the Goths.  In front of his captives including the Goth’s Queen Tamora and her paramour, the Moor Aaron, he orders the Queen’s eldest son to be butchered as a religious sacrifice to honor those lost in battle.  This act of cruelty immediately earns the military leader two calculating enemies and sets off a cycle of chaotic and bloody revenge.

I have recently taken up needle felting.  It’s wonderfully cathartic to stab something beautiful into being.  I imagine Red Bull Theater’s Artistic Director Jesse Berger must have felt a similar tug towards reshaping Titus Andronicus after absorbing current events.  As director, he has used the flatness of the characters to craft an experience akin to a live video game illustrating the purposeless of vengeance and violence.

The period has been updated to a time of business attire, smooth jazz and neon chandeliers.  The escalating blood lust is reflected in all the creative elements from the bright red accessories of Emily Rebholz’s costumes to the torture instrument design of the bows by Anya Kutner.  Sounds orchestrated by Adam Wernick that could be wind or whispers whisk around the pillar-trees by award winning set designer Beowulf Boritt.  These solid white elements are given eery tone with lighting by Jiyoun Chang.

Adam Langdon, Amy Jo Jackson, Jesse Aaronson in Titus Andronicus; photo by Carol Rosegg

Literally frothing at the mouth as Titus Andronicus is the Shakespeare-fluent and magnetically edgy Patrick Page.  But this has always been an ensemble work and Berger’s entire cast deserves a chef’s kiss for their commitment to his giddy vision.  Many moments are positively hilarious, a word rarely applied to this play.  When Matthew Amendt’s Saturninus accepts the Emperor’s crown with a goody-goody-gumdrops of delight you know this is not your great-great-great-great-grandfather’s production.  Likewise the purring of Francesca Faridany’s Tamora who’s slide into death is perfection. Also of note are the smirking Jesse Aaronson and Adam Langdon who skin-crawlingly out “Bro” each other as Tamora’s sadistic sons Chiron and Demetrius.  McKinley Belcher III portrays Aaron in a more classic style as befits his more traditional path to villainy.  Many actors play multiple parts.  A character map and “about” pages are provided to help you keep track of the relationships along with 430 year old spoilers and trigger warnings.  A more complete content advisory is posted on the Red Bull Theater website.

Popular in its day, Titus Andronicus still appeals today in the lurid vein of tabloids and clips on Musk’s X.  Berger’s interpretation smartly puts what could be melodrama through Martin McDonagh’s black comedy grinder to serve up something rip roaringly entertaining.  Performances continue through April 19 at The Pershing Square Signature Center’s Alice Griffin Jewel Box Theatre (480 West 42nd Street).  Running time is a little over 2 hours including a 15 minute intermission.  There is more legroom though less rake at the entry aisle F.  Aisles are used for entrances, so there are multiple reasons for wanting to keep your arms and legs to yourself.  Tickets start at a welcome $49.  Visit https://www.redbulltheater.com/titus-andronicus-off-broadway to make a purchase or to get more information.

5th Annual Little Shakespeare Festival

Festival, Off Off Broadway, Shakespeare, streaming August 5, 2025 Leave a comment

Looking for an escape from the heat? the smoke? the world?  I can recommend a bite-sized treat: the 5th Annual Little Shakespeare Festival.  Each year playwrights take stories and themes from The Bard and spin them in a humorous/soul searching/topical direction.  This year’s selection of ten productions was curated by Conor Mullen based on the prompt “Not Your English Teacher’s Shakespeare.”  They include three Hamlet-inspired pieces.  A farcical Hamlet: La Telenovela is adapted by Federico Mallet, translated by Jose Ruano, and presented by Something From Abroad.  Events retold from the prospective of the theatre troupe unfold in The Mousetrap, or Prince Hamlet wrote a dumb play and now we have to do it written by Margaret Rose Caterisano and presented by Broomstick.  And comedian Rachel Resnik begs you not to laugh at her solo performance Hamlet’s Dad: Otherwise Known As The Daddy Issue’s Cycle presented by Serious Play.

The venue at UNDER St. Marks is not fully accessible, so the good folks at FRIGID New York have live streams available for purchase. This is how I was able to giggle from my couch at As You Wish It or The Bride Princess or What You Will.  The feed is supplied by two cameras, one in the back row and one audience right and closer to the stage. The audio is good quality and you can even hear the etherial music that plays as the audience loads in. The hilarious introduction by the house manager is not to be missed. It’s such a small theater that it’s a similar experience to arriving just before curtain and grabbing whatever seat you find.

As You Wish It etc. is billed as a parody, but it struck me as more of a love letter.  Presented by Fork the Odds Productions, the beloved William Goldman book/movie has been transposed into Shakespearean English by Michael Hagins.  Dialogue from Hamlet, MacBeth, Romeo and Juliet, Taming of the Shrew, and Richard III is comfortably intertwined with all the favorite lines and plot points from Rob Reiner’s classic.  It was wonderful to see that over 30 years later the over-the-top tale of true love still has such loyal fans.  With every long introduction by the revenge-seeking Count and “inconceivable” the audience roared with appreciation.  If it’s been a while since you saw the original, a quick review of the dense character-filled storyline will aid your full enjoyment. 

Rather than covering up the obvious shortcomings of enacting an action film on a tiny stage, the company leans into the insanity of even trying.  A roll down the hill becomes a balletic twilling through curtains, a knock out punch is prefaced by grabbing a small wrestling mat, and a chase on horseback is mimicked with Python style coconut shells.  The sword fights are brilliantly choreographed in slow motion.  The actors physical humor is enhanced by inexpensive, well designed props.  Synchronized sound effects heighten the laughs. Tickets are still available for the August 8 and 9 performances.

As You Wish It is among the offerings at the 2025 Little Shakespeare Festival; Photo by Michele Santomoreno

There is a timelessness to Shakespeare’s themes and relationships that opens his works to seemingly endless variation.  The Little Shakespeare Festival puts a spotlight on particularly clever revisions all presented by independent companies.  The fun continues through August 17.  All live performances take place at UNDER St. Marks (94 St Marks Place) and tickets are $25.  Streaming tickets are $20 for a live feed (so no late seating even at home.) To view the full schedule and to purchase advanced tickets visit www.frigid.nyc.

Twelfth Night

On Demand, Shakespeare March 23, 2025 Leave a comment

Twelfth Night is arguably the most lovely of all of Shakespeare’s comedies.  It reflects the same lighthearted and celebratory nature as the Christmas holiday for which it is named.  Set along the sun-kissed coast of Illyria with happily-ever-after always in view, it includes many of the playwright’s favorite motifs — tangled affections, mistaken identify, and class contrasts — and blends them into a frothy mixture.  Now playwright Alison Carey has given it a delicate layer of modern polish, increasing the ease of comprehension while leaving the most memorable lines intact.  Her translation is being produced at TheatreSquared and performed by the National Asian American Theatre Company (NAATCO) who co-present along with Play On Shakespeare.  Further enlivened by new music soaringly sung by Joyce Meimei Zheng, it’s a delightful family-friendly entertainment.

Nima Rakhshanifar, Karen Li, Eston J. Fung, and Anula Navlekar are among the National Asian American Theatre Company cast members of Twelfth Night at TheatreSquared, now streaming.

At the opening we are introduced to Count Orsino (Eston J. Fung) who pines for the lovely Olivia (Karen Li).  But the lady is in mourning over the recent death of her brother and is not open to his wooing.  She is protected and served by the crafty Maria (Nandita Shenoy).  Living with them is Olivia’s uncle, Sir Toby Belch (Victor Chi), who spends much of his time drinking and playing tricks on those around him.  He hopes his niece will accept a proposal of marriage from his good friend, the sweet but foolish Sir Andrew Aguecheek (Alex Lydon).  The two other members of this household could not be less alike.  Her house manager, the self-important Malvolio (audience favorite Rajesh Bose), is the most humorless man in the realm, while her fool, Feste, (Joyce Meimei Zheng) is often seen around town entertaining everyone with jokes and songs.

Meanwhile, a shipwreck just off shore has separated devoted twins Viola (Anula Navlekar) and Sebastian (Nima Rakhshanifar).  Each believes the other to be drowned.  Recognizing the potential perils of living as a woman alone in a strange land, Viola has disguised herself as a young man and now serves as a page to the broken-hearted Orsino.  When she is sent to court Olivia in the Count’s name in her male garb, she inadvertently wins the woman’s heart for herself.

Vibrantly directed by Aneesha Kudtarkar making her T2 debut, the cast whizzes through nearly 2 ½ hours of poetry, music and storytelling.  An amusingly choreographed duel is a highlight.  Each line is spoken clearly and with natural rhythm.  The set by scenic designer Chika Shimizu provides ladders, platforms, and a bridge that promote physicality and an openness that is bathed by Marie Yokoyama’s seaside-colored lighting.  Costume designer Mariko Ohigashi adorns the actors in warmly colored relaxed fabrics that move with them, further enhancing the ease and fluidity of the entire play.

The welcome comfort is palpable in this Twelfth Night.  While I was anticipating some form of cultural spin, what I saw was a first rate production of an easy-to-like play.  Illyria can be reimagined to be anywhere where the only person who is mocked is the one who stomps on everyone else’s delight.  The point is not what these people look like, but rather the joy they take in each other’s company.  TheatreSquared is located at 477 W. Spring St. in downtown Fayetteville, Arkansas.  In person tickets ($30-$60) as well as an on-demand stream ($25/$35) are available on the TheaterSquared website (https://www.theatre2.org/twelfth-night).  Performances continue through Sunday, March 30.