I saw Greenstage’s production of Titus Andronicus on Sunday night. Normally, this is Shake­speare’s bloodiest tragedy, but Greenstage chose to play it as a dark comedy. It’s still bloody, extremely bloody, blood everywhere, spurting from severed wrists, spraying from cut throats, shooting over the stage (and some of the audience).

The first twenty minutes were very confusing. The actors spoke their lines very quickly and I had a hard time tuning in to what they were saying and what was happening. Then either they slowed down or I tuned in, but it started making sense, inasmuch as Titus Andronicus can ever make sense.

I’ve seen Greenstage do comedies and straight tragedies. Here they hammed it up, putting a non-tra­di­tion­al spin on the lines. It worked.

Three more shows coming up this weekend. And it’s free!