Titus Andronicus; The Comedy

November 14, 2007 2:30 PM

A number of years ago I witnessed a comedic reinterpretation of Shakespeare's Titus Andronicus, a decidedly non-comedic play. Can anybody direct me to more information on this version of the play?

If further details would help, I saw the dress-rehearsal performed on the lawn outside the Metreon in San Francisco, probably in '98 or 99. The main details of the play were kept, but a lot of the dialogue was changed for comedic effect. There was a low-speed bicycle pursuit scene. It was freakin' awesome and I'd love to see it again, but Google gets confused when I type 'Titus Andronicus' and 'comedy.'

posted by lekvar to sports, hobbies, & recreation (7 comments total)

Google (titus "yerba buena" [the name of the park outside the Metreon]) seems to be showing that it was called Titus! and written by John Fisher.
posted by occhiblu at 2:40 PM on November 14, 2007

Info on obtaining the script.
posted by occhiblu at 2:41 PM on November 14, 2007

It doesn't sound like the performance you saw, but there's also a brief version of it in The Complete Works of William Shakespeare Abridged. The actors perform it as a parody of a cooking show.
posted by web-goddess at 2:43 PM on November 14, 2007

And we have a winner! Sadly there doesn't seem to be much info out there about it, even with the playwright's name.
posted by lekvar at 2:51 PM on November 14, 2007

You will send him an e-mail, yes? His address is right there on his site. I'm quite curious about this now, and have marked it as a favorite so I can look for any progress later...
posted by amtho at 4:15 PM on November 14, 2007

I saw that show. One of my friends played the drums for it. We both had six-month-olds at the time. The show progressed all through Yerba Buena Park, using the fountain and sculptures to great effect. It was co-sponsored by Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, but their website is silent on the subject.

During the opening scene, my daughter was entranced and every time the actors shouted "Titus!" she replied "Hehhhhhh!" She was sitting right next to a floor (ground?) mike and thus the whole audience could hear her.
posted by expialidocious at 8:33 PM on November 14, 2007

No reply to the email yet. I'm hoping that there's some kind of video of the performance, I'd love to be able to share it.

I honestly had no idea that there was anything going on that day... I was just hanging out on the lawn with my mom and girlfriend when the Goths came yelling and charging through, waving toilet-brushes affixed to the ends of PVC poles. Everybody in the park stood transfixed (except when we had to move to follow the action) for the next three hours. Did I mention that it was my birthday? One of my best birthday presents ever.
posted by lekvar at 11:13 AM on November 15, 2007