John Vickery as the title character in Stratford's production of Titus Andronicus

It can be a brilliant treatise on the excesses of revenge — or the Elizabethan equivalent of a slasher film. But no matter how it is played, William Shakespeare’s blood-drenched Titus Andronicus is one killer of a show.

As for the Stratford Festival production that opened Thursday on the stage of the Tom Patterson, it aspires, at least in its early scenes, to be one of the former, before surrendering to its bloodlust and moving into the latter category — with a vengeance, one might say.

But regardless of its intellectual aspirations (or its charnel-house achievements), this production, under the aegis of director Darko Tresnjak, moves at a pace that is just shy of relentless.

It begins, of course, with the return to Rome of the victorious general, Titus Andronicus, played here by John Vickery.

As much to put paid to a quarrel between the two sons of the late emperor as to celebrate his latest victory, Andronicus is offered the imperial crown, which he declines in favour of the emperor’s eldest son Saturninus (Sean Arbuckle), to whom the general also offers his only daughter, Lavinia (Amanda Lisman).

Lavinia has other ideas, however. And when she forsakes Saturninus in favour of his brother Bassianus (Skye Brandon), the newly crowned emperor chooses the barbarian queen Tamora (Claire Lautier) as his empress — despite the fact that she has been brought to Rome a captive by the victorious Andronicus, who just sacrificed her eldest son in celebration of her defeat.

Brought to unexpected power, the new queen, aided by her psychopathic lover Aaron the Moor (Dion Johnstone) and her two surviving, ill-fated and hugely spoiled sons (Brendan Murray and Bruce Godfree), sets out to eke bloody revenge.

Serving as his own set designer and working with Linda Cho (costumes), Itai Erdal (lighting) and Lindsay Jones (sound), Tresnjak creates a world unmistakably Roman, but more than a little make-believe as well, littered with grotesque statuary and lurid bowers.

And in the opening scenes of the play, he opts for a relatively conventional staging, contenting himself with an highly melodramatic overlay that serves to mark the storyline through the carnage in much the same way as floor lights in an airplane’s aisle.

But as the body count rises — as Lavinia’s husband is murdered and her brother is executed for the crime, as Lavinia is raped and horribly mutilated, and as Andronicus sacrifices limbs in an attempt to save his family — it is the world of the play rather than Andronicus himself that seems to go mad.

That said, there is some interesting, on occasion even compelling, work here. While Vickery certainly has the voice for the title role, he ultimately lacks the military bearing the part demands — something that an increasingly impressive Paul Fauteux, cast as his last surviving son, Lucius, offers in spades. Johnstone’s Aaron, meanwhile, is superb, offering a glimpse of where the play could go in more seasoned hands.

For his part, Arbuckle tackles the villainous Saturninus with an over-the-top relish that serves to help drive the director’s vision of the play and anchor Lautier’s Tamora, trapped in costumes more appropriate to a queen of the supermodels than of the Goths. As Titus’ stay-at-home brother Marcus, David Ferry gives a centred and enthusiastic turn, while Lisman’s grasp on Lavinia seems to grow with each subsequent outrage.

However, Tresnjak allows his highly graphic production to get too caught up in the how of the outrages the play documents, consigning the more compelling why to a secondary role.

In consequence, it all turns into more of a good-natured blood-bath — think Halloween: The Roman Years — than a thoughtful treatise on the excesses of revenge. For a certain audience, it’s a good time, although for many, not necessarily good Shakespeare. 

Tom Patterson Theatre

Directed by Darko Tresnjak

Starring the ensemble
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