‘Titus Andronicus’ @ Shakespeare Dallas

Photos & graphics courtesy of Shakespeare Dallas

—Carol M. Rice

Revenge is a topic that is used often in movies, books, and plays. William Shakespeare is thought to have written Titus Andronicus to compete with a string of bloody, violent revenge plays being written by his contemporaries. Titus was first performed in 1594, only a couple of years after his plays began to appear in London. And as “first tragedies” go, a guy could do worse, even though the play is not considered one of his best.

As presented by Shakespeare Dallas and directed by Dr. Danielle Georgiou, this “Club Titus” production isn’t what one might expect from a vicious bodies-piling-up tragedy. The action takes place in designer Uldarico Sarmiento’s bar setting, where plots are hatched, dances are danced, and murders occur. Aaron Johansen’s brilliant lighting design is what makes the murders work, as each death is punctuated by red lights and party-streamers flying from handheld poppers (props to Cindy Ernst Godinez)—all accompanied by Noah James Heller’s strong sound design.

The show has a number of out-of-place elements. The individual costumes provided by designer Amy Otto are stunning—especially those for Tamora (Nicole Berastequi as Shakespeare’s Goth queen). However, when you put all the characters together, it’s impossible to tell what era we’re in and what story is being told design-wise. Director Georgiou’s choreography, though interesting, doesn’t seem to add to the story and sometimes seems out of place. While I totally get that plays don't have to be set in a specific time and place, especially those of Shakespeare, these confusing choices only add to a patchwork of ideas and concepts that just don't appear to go together. In addition, director Georgiou’s choreography, though interesting, doesn’t seem to add to the story and sometimes feels out of place.

Fortunately, the acting from the sizeable cast is solid overall, with the aforementioned Berastequi, Shawn Gann (Aaron), Adrian Godinez (Titus), and Lily Gast (Lavinia) as standouts. As Lavinia, Titus’ daughter, Gast is unable to speak for much of the show, but her physicality and body control is incredible: I couldn’t take my eyes off her when she was onstage.

There are very few (if any) likeable characters in Titus Andronicus, and Gann and Godinez lead the wolf pack, each with their own interpretation of evil. Going even beyond them, though, Berastequi makes the perfect scheming villain. She’s able to make us feel sympathy for her initially, but it’s very easy to turn on Tamora when she goes too far.

While this is the first time I’ve been fortunate enough to see Titus live, I’m very familiar with the play. Georgiou’s take on the bloody tragedy is a unique one that only occasionally works. However, since it is so rarely performed—and because the weather is finally perfect for a night outside at the Samuell Grand Amphitheatre, I still highly recommend going, to support this Shakespeare Dallas production and to catch some fine performances.

WHEN: September 18-October 18, 2026
WHERE: Samuell Grand Amphitheatre, 1500 Tenison Parkway, Dallas
WEB: https://www.shakespearedallas.org/