Titus Andronicus Jr.

Heard walks the fine line between hilarious and appalling, and at its best moments, 'Titus Andronicus Jr.' is appallingly hilarious.... full review

I loved the kids!... full review

These kid have done their homework and handle Shakespeare’s text quite well. It’s actually pretty funny watching them nail characters normally played by adults in this particularly gruesome horror/tragedy adaptation. The concept is beautifully absurd and offers a lot of laughs.... full review

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’ ae going to pay the pr... full review

This is a weird one. The problem, I think, is two competing ideas- the comic notion of children performing Shakespeare's "most violent play," and then their director having a mental breakdown, which is not played for laughs at all. The kids are so good, and present the actual bits from the play so well, I sort of resented the interruptions. The director (credited only as "Mr. Benjamin") is finely acted, but his going mad doesn't really ring true, as the kids continue to act around him, and especially as it is supposed to be opening night in front of a room full of parents who would stop things almost immediately. (The latter, at least, could be easily solved by making it dress rehearsal instead). The play goes from somewhat funny to totall... full review

I was excited to see this show, to see how they had made this particular Shakespearean play appropriate for a Middle School audience. To start with, I want to say that all of the actors did a commendable job, and there were several clever bits of business. I want to say that because nothing else I have to say is positive, and it should be known that that has nothing to do with their performances. Had I been paying closer attention before I decided to see this show, I would have noticed that the play is recommended for ages 16+. Last I checked, the only way a middle school student would be 16+ is if they were held back several years. By the very young countenances of the entirety of the cast, except one, I’m going to wager that they were all ... full review