RSC Titus Andronicus- 2025 Review

If you know me, you know that this is one of my favorite Shakespeare's, yes, I'm a lil crazy, I know, but I just love Titus Andronicus. I think it's such an interesting insight into Elizabethan views on women and violence, with some incredible characters. This production was striking and gorgeous and so well-done. It was just a strong production on every front.

Directed by Max Webster, this bare-bones and bleak production perfectly captured the essence of this bloody Revenge Tragedy. Joanna Scotcher's scenic and costume design were scarce of any color and so haunting. It felt like the only color on stage was the red blood. I loved the few moments when we saw the wall of candles behind the glass doors at the back of the stage, and the floor was so cool, it was like marble that was inscribed with text, it looked like a Roman epitaph. Probably the coolest element was the mechanical crane-like arm that was brought in and out before any blood was shed. Something about the sound of the mechanical whirr was just straight-up haunting. Lee Curran's lighting design and Tingying Dong's sound design were spectacular, and worked so well in the intimate Swan Theatre. Jade Hackett's expressionist movement direction was really cool, actors moving like animals on the hunt between scenes, during soliloquies, and when 'rising from the dead.'

I have to talk about the blood, they used literally gallons of it, in buckets and in hoses. It was magnificent. They installed gutters and splash shields on the edges of the stage, and audience members in the first two rows were given blankets to protect their clothes from the splatter. The scene where Titus gets his hand chopped off was so cool, and the banquet was literally jaw-dropping. I lost my mind when they used hoses to spray Titus and Tamora with blood. My jaw was on the floor when the sprinklers above the stage then turned on and started raining on the stage, and then the dead arose and left the stage, Titus walked to the back of the stage and shut the doors, and members of the crew came out and swept the water back, it was such a stunning moment, will stay in my brain for a long time.

I had the absolute pleasure of seeing Simon Russell Beale as Titus, and he was just phenomenal. He showed such versatility and range in this role, his agony was palpable, and his sarcasm was horrendously funny. His chemistry with his daughter Lavinia, played by Letty Thomas, was tragically beautiful, and her performance of Lavinia was gut-wrenchingly powerful. Natey Jones was a manic and diabolical Aaron, he exuded unapologetic evil. Joshua James as Saturninus was so good, usually this is a decently forgettable role, but he was slaying. I enjoyed Wendy Kweh's performance of Tamora, she was so manic, and her choice to aggressively eat the pie with crazy eyes was PEAK, but I wanted more of a commanding presence from her. 

I really enjoyed this production. I never miss an opportunity to see this bonkers play, and I'm so glad that it's reviewed well; it's not a fan-favorite, which makes it an uphill battle to produce, but the RSC just does it so well. I feel really lucky to have gotten to see Simon Russell Beale take on his bucket-list role. My only grievance was that I didn't get to sit in the splash zone. 

Rating: 5/5 Stars