Titus Andronicus @ C Nova

When your company’s Fringe production has to compete with two other adaptations of the same play, there will inevitably be comparisons made between the three shows. It’s unfortunate, and not something many shows have to deal with, but it's also unavoidable. While Shakespeare’s Rome-set tale of bloody revenge is being performed with a gender-swap at the Bedlam, and a skinhead cast at the Surgeon’s Hall, the Deadly Theatre Company’s post-Communist Russia-set offering promises a gruesome, graphic novel styling. Unfortunately, promises are often broken.

Apart from some Sin City-style background projections of settings, there is nothing to suggest a sense of time or place. These scenes are admittedly striking but offer no real immersion in the world, and end up feeling more like window dressing. The projections may tell us the scene is set in front of the Kremlin, but it feels pointless when the scene performed feels like it could be set anywhere. It all begins very quickly to feel unimaginative.

Some moments stand out – Aaron’s confession is a trippy addition that makes you wish for more such scenes – but choosing to perform the entire unedited text is a misfire when sloppy direction and a mixed bag of actors (Aaron being the standout performance) struggle to bring much needed vivacity to their lines. When the action picks up with the always-devilish dinner scene, the spark quickly returns to a deflating slog of a finale.

This particular production suffers from a major lack of confidence and never lives up to the potential intrigue and true grit suggested. If the company go back to the drawing board, they could work wonders with this idea, but in its current form, it is somewhat flaccid.