Titus Andronicus

Part of Globe to Globe and World Shakespeare Festival 2012, Tang Shu-Wing Theatre Studio’s Titus Andronicus was a massive hit to the audience last night. Shakespeare’s Globe played host to the play spoken in Cantonese. Non-Cantonese speakers were aided with surtitles.

With a very simple minimalist stage, the play was injected with Hong Kong culture that was dominated by the actors’ voices and movements to really show off the energy of the text. Music was live done by a sole musician who was sat on top of the set using traditional Chinese instruments.

The ensemble was brilliant and emotive. The production, which was commissioned and premiered at the 2012 Hong Kong Arts Festival, has toured Singapore and the US, and the Globe to Globe festival is its first visit to the UK.

Here’s the synopsis:

Titus and his sons return to Rome triumphant with their Goth prisoners – Tamora and her sons. When Titus’ daughter Lavinia refuses to marry the new emperor Saturninus, Titus is horrified as Saturninus instead chooses Tamora for his bride. In their new position of power, Tamora and her sons set out to get revenge against Titus for crimes against the Goths. As the body count rises and the acts of vengeance escalate, Titus is pushed to extreme measures to avenge his family.

Here are some pics from the play:

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The festival runs until June, so there are plenty of chances to catch all the other plays. The beauty of it is that the festival presents 37 plays in 37 languages. It goes to show that good storytelling through acting can get a message across despite differences in languages.

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