Review: TITUS at Portland Playhouse

Looking for a thrill? TITUS, Shakespeare's bloodiest play, is now running at Portland Playhouse. Watching it feels just a little bit like getting an electric shock. I mean that as a massive compliment.

The play is all about revenge. After 10 years of war, Titus returns victorious to Rome along with his prisoners - Tamora, Queen of the Goths; her three sons; and her lover, Aaron the Moor. As per Roman custom, Titus sacrifices Tamora's eldest son to the gods, which starts a brutal cycle of vengeance, from which no one is spared.

There's clearly a lesson here, and a warning -- one that applies today as much as it did in the late 1500s, when it was written. But we all already know that revenge destroys everything and everyone in its wake. What the Portland Playhouse production, directed by Tina Packer and Brian Weaver, does so brilliantly is to explore why humans so often choose to continue along the path of inevitable destruction. We all know the answer to this, too, though we might not like to admit it. Revenge feels good. At least in the moment, there is nothing so satisfying as sticking it to your enemies, regardless of what comes next. Right? The question is "How can we stop ourselves before it's too late?"

TITUS stars Nigel Gore, whose Shakespeare credits are too extensive to list. Portland Playhouse audiences will recognize him from 2019's WOMEN OF WILL, where Gore starred alongside Tina Packer, who also wrote the show (if you missed it, I highly recommend the book). His performance as the title character here is a masterclass in both Shakespeare and human nature. Watching him barrel toward catastrophe, I found myself thinking, "Don't do it!" and at the same time wondering if I would be wise enough to do anything different in his position.

As Aaron, the play's main antagonist, La'Tevin Alexander embraces evil with a disturbing coolness. While he is Tamora's lover, you get the feeling that he could just as easily chop off her head as kiss her. The performer who surprised me most was Nikki Weaver as Tamora. Weaver is often cast as either the crying type or the flitty type, but these roles don't do her justice. She's a kickass honey badger!

Surrounding the main players is a dynamic ensemble, including several members of the Portland Playhouse Apprentice Company, who all do a fantastic job of balancing the horror and the comedy of this piece. Because, despite all of the bloodletting, TITUS - at least this production - is really very funny.

TITUS runs through April 10. Whether you're a long-time Shakespeare fan or a first-timer, this is one you don't want to miss. The production is also available for streaming on demand. More details and tickets here: https://portlandplayhouse.org/shows-events/titus/

Photo credit: Shawnte Sims