Titus Andronicus

This Titus was in Cantonese, from a Hong Kong theatre company.   I liked it, more than the Julius Caesar, but not as much as the other Shakespeare I've seen at the Globe, and I think I figured out why.  Titus was staged in a very classy manner, minimalist staging, and clear acting.  However...

1)  I liked the individuality of the other plays.  No other play is going to be like it.  This staging could have been found at any American theatre.

2)  Music, movement, and dance were a vital part of the other plays, and in this one, movement was only used in the beginning (I think) to clarify relationships between everyone.  Music, in this one, was the occasional flute, drum, or horn.

4) I liked how the other plays were a reflection of the culture from whence it came.  This was, again, could have been found anywhere.  Granted, it goes to show how universal Shakespeare is, but I wished the Hong Kong company had owned it more.

Costumes were grey for the Andronici, black for the Goths, and white for the Roman royalty.  I wasn't quite sure what the point of the color-coding was.  A black man was not cast as Aaron, so instead, Aaron had several black lines on his face and on his forearms, in a design that reminded me of tiger stripes.  It was subtle, but got the point across.  I thought that was interesting... a Caucasian couldn't have gotten away with that, for obvious reasons.  There were some deadly pauses.  I think the script was directly translated, and cut very little, from my memory of it.

Lavinia only had blood around her mouth and red-gloved fists after her horrible experience.  I wanted more blood.  Call me a typical American, but I really wanted more evidence.  The actress, on the other hand, was fantastic.  Instead of just sitting to the side in a mute trauma, Lavinia made herself a part of the action throughout.  She told more with her body than she might have been able to tell in words.  Titus' stabbing is clearly premeditated, as Lucius holds Marcus back.  I've always loved Marcus' character, and this actor did not disappoint.  It was quality work, but only disappointing in the light of the Twelfth Night and Midsummer I'd already seen.