Titus Andronicus Jr. - Hollywood Fringe Review


A review by Rachel Flanagan.

Shakespeare is commonly read and performed in schools all over the country but it is rare that school-age youths are encouraged to read or perform Titus Andronicus. Thought to be Shakespeare's first tragedy, it is his bloodiest and most violent but Mr. Benjamin thinks that this is the perfect play for the students at Dawson Middle School to perform for parents, friends and family in the 2016 Hollywood Fringe performance of Titus Andronicus Jr.   Mr. Benjamin is not very happy with some of the parents in the audience and certainly not happy with his life, as his wife has just left him.  It seems Mr. Benjamin has taken some creative liberties in the script for Titus Andronicus in hopes to win back his ex and his students' are going to pay the price! Filled with theatrical violence (with a "trigger warning") language, and blood, this is a performance that you do not want to miss. This play is a fully immersive experience as the program is set up to look like a program you would get if you really went to see this at Dawson Middle School.   The cast of children who play the roles of middle school children are actually played by children who are not even old enough to see this 16+ age recommended play and they all do a brilliant job in each of their roles.  As Mr. Benjamin becomes more and more crazed during the production, the students realize they can no longer continue the play and must turn the tables on their teacher in order to save themselves.   Titus Andronicus Jr. is like a middle school production that has gone horribly bad but done so in a perfect way.  This must-see deserves to find its way across the nation so that everyone can experience this genius, creative, and bloody good production!

http://www.hollywoodfringe.org/projects/3410?review_id=17422&tab=reviews



Posted By Rachel Flanagan on June 13, 2016 11:34 am | Permalink