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UP Shakes’ ‘Titus Andronicus’ kills

Roscoe Schieler plays Him in the Upper Peninsula Shakespeare Festival’s production of “Titus Andronicus.” Remaining shows are at 7:30 p.m., Sunday, Wednesday and Oct. 29 at the Ore Dock Brewing Co. in Marquette. Tickets can be purchased at www.upshakes.org. (Photo courtesy of Stacey Dyer)

MARQUETTE –Yes, a horrible pun in the title of this review, but a well-intentioned one. For those unaware of Shakespeare’s bloodiest revenge play, “Titus Andronicus,” the body count is high and the acts of violence and depravity abound.

There is lust and intrigue and plots and counter plots and adultery and murder and mayhem. And for many theater goers, when presented “straight” it can be an unpalatable show that is difficult to watch.

When first produced in the late 16th century it was one of Shakespeare’s most popular works, bloody revenge plays being a popular genre among the masses. In the Victorian era it fell out of favor as those were more civil times. In the latter parts of the 20th century “Titus Andronicus” began to gain traction and is again regarded as an important piece of Shakespeare’s canon.

We are living in what is arguably the most violent time in modern human history and the themes in this play are relevant now more than ever. So how to present this to a modern audience used to rapid-fire tweets and texts and snaps, Facebook and a thousand channels of television? How indeed? That is a problem that Jamie Weeder and The Upper Peninsula Shakespeare Festival have solved in an unlikely theater, The Ore Dock Brewery. Let the games begin!

To crib from the director’s own notes in the program: “The stakes are high in Shakespeare’s bloodiest revenge play, as staged through the lenses of ‘contestants’ in this game called Society. What do we stand for? Who do we stand with? How do we govern ourselves in a culture whose predilections for violence and domination steer our tactics? In this hilarious, provoking, and sometimes terrifying treatment of William Shakespeare’s ‘Titus Andronicus,’ are you just here for the party? Or are you the next competitor?”

That’s right, a game show. Brilliant. A mashing of reality TV shows like “Survivor” and “Big Brother” and “The Apprentice” (among others), the stakes are high indeed. Lose the game and you are dead. Or worse. The plotting and backstabbing, the lust and intrigues, the rapes and dismemberments, the cannibalism! All are real in this game show.

By choosing this concept and carrying it through, Ms. Weeder has found ways to make what would be a slow moving dirge to 21st century audiences into a fast-paced and slickly produced show that is fully engaging of all your senses.

How to handle all the bloodshed in a space as intimate as the Ore Dock? How to cut off someone’s hands three feet from an audience member? How not to have the audience leave because they cannot stomach it all? Again, brilliant choices here by Ms. Weeder. Food. Pumpkins. Pasta. Cabbage. Cantaloupes. A chopping block. An assortment of creative weapons by Anthony Reynolds. Pasties. A “splash zone” like in a Gallagher show. I won’t go into more detail — you really must go to the show to understand what I am trying to illustrate.

There is also smart use of a video projector and video clips that the cast watches and interacts with. And remarkably simple costume choices that also help to sell the idea that this is a game, a very real game. Highly entertaining.

The cast is an assemblage of well-established and distinguished faces from the local theater scene, some lesser-known and under-utilized actors from our community, and some newcomers to theater performance. And it works.

I am probably sounding too much like the president of the Jamie Weeder Fan Club, but her direction of this bunch both shines through and is transparent at the same time. In a compressed rehearsal schedule with little time in the actual space that they were to perform in, Ms. Weeder has given these actors the tools and direction needed to bring their characters and this show to bloody life.

Notable performances include John Sarkela in the title role of Titus Andronicus. A seasoned veteran, John always puts his all into every role, from small supporting characters to weighty leads. You can definitely sense his experience and talents in this performance.

The same can be said for a stalwart of our local theater scene, Jessica “Red” Bays. Her powerful presence onstage as Marcus Andronicus is a rock that others can anchor their performances to. She is always solid and powerful onstage.

Ella Bartlett Filipowicz was delightfully fiendish as the twisted queen of the Goths, Tamora. You could tell how much she enjoyed playing this vile temptress, the controlling woman behind her husband, the Emperor Saturninus. Her real-life husband, Ben Filipowicz plays Saturninus with aplomb. Always a delight on stage. He clearly relished every line and moment of this production.

An oft overlooked talent in our local theater scene, Melissa Neal delivers a remarkable performance as Lavinia, the sweet young daughter of Titus. Lavinia is very much a pawn in the game between the Andronicus family and Tamora. She is raped at Tamora’s behest, her hands cut off and her tongue cut out so that she cannot reveal the true identity of those who assaulted her. Ms. Neal does a great job both as the voiced and unvoiced maiden. Her physical approach to the role is superb.

Finally, I have to point out Roscoe Schieler as Him. His character is the game show’s host, as well as the demonic and maniacal dispatcher of much of the onstage carnage. His character is the kind of “utility player” that does so many different things that you almost need a scorecard to keep up with him. Roscoe is primarily known as an innovative jazz musician (he recently was the music director/creator for UP Shakes’ “A Streetcar Named Desire”), but he clearly has some very strong acting chops. He is fully engaged and downright scary at times. Funny. Deadly. I greatly enjoyed his performance, as well as that of the balance of the cast. Time and space are limited, so a heartfelt congratulations to the contributions of everyone in this show. Bravo.

To sum things up, I was blown away. By the technical aspects. By the concept. By the execution. By the acting. By the directorial choices. By the masterful editing of a three hour long script into a taut 90 minutes-or-so of nonstop theater magic. You owe it to yourself to see this show. Even those of you who are “afraid” of Shakespeare or averse to violence and gore — this presentation handles it all so well and so differently that you will simply be moved by what you experience and forget that “you don’t like Shakespeare.”

There are three more performances at 7:30, Sunday, Wednesday and next Sunday, Oct. 29 at the Ore Dock Brewing Co. More information and a link to purchase tickets ahead of time (don’t risk being disappointed by not being able to buy tickets at the door because of a sell-out) can be found at www.upshakes.org.

As a popular athletic wear company says, “Just do it!” Support innovative and cutting-edge theater here in Marquette.

Editor’s note: Martyn Martello is a local director and actor.

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