Necessity mothers some fine invention in Wildcard Theatre Company's stylized version of Shakespeare's youthful and bloodiest work. Basic black costumes get augmented by scarves (a red one around Lavinia's mouth symbolizes her tongue having been cut out), weapons, headgear (helmets and Titus' crown, of course), and the like. White wooden forms come together for a stage, separate for a yard, pile up for towers and castles, get turned over to become a hollow pit. Banging on the boxes produces storms and a shipwreck. Obviously, this production was made for touring.
Only six players take all the distinguisable roles. A puppet introduces a tragicomic note. Despite changes of dress and props, it takes a great deal of concentration to figure out who's who after certain scene shifts. All except Andy Wisher's distinctive Titus. After his lack of mercy, he's still pitiable when he prays for pity. Most sorrowful, however, is Charlotte McKinney as the ravaged, nearly dissected Lavinia, contrasting with her role as Lucius.
Clearly villanous as Saturninus, Matthew Rowland-Roberts also does well with Chiron. Michael Lovatt doubles adequately as Bassianus and Demerius. Francesca Manzi oozes evil as the worst villainess Tamora, aided by Patrick Regis' faithful Aaron. The cast is uniformly strong. Andrew Potter deserves praise for pacing of a long, difficult play in record time. For the most part, his concepts are realized successfully. A few extras to help with the likes of scene changes might be beneficial if they don't add much to the length (brevity is one of this production's advantages, especially if it tours to schools or small regional theaters).
