Chicago Tribune
- Highly Recommended
"...There are very few innocents in “Titus,” and they tend to suffer the most. Marcus Andronicus (Sabine Wan) wonders if “the gods delight in tragedies,” and it certainly seems they do. At least, they’re happy to turn a blind eye to the tragedies humans inflict on each other. Depending on your level of pessimism and the state of your mental health, this nihilistic play might seem like the perfect fit for our era of foreign wars, domestic political violence and cynical power grabs — or it might feel like too much. Take care. Either way, a few things are as clear in the world of the play as they are in our own: Violence begets violence. Justice is elusive. But as Redtwist’s slightly altered plot indicates, even the smallest of mercies can interrupt this cycle."
Chicago Reader
- Highly Recommended
"...If you need to watch the timeless tale of an empire other than your own crumbling from its rotten core, then this is the show for you. Patriotic musings on Rome and honor really contrast with the hypocritical amount of stabbings. Adrenaline keeps the audience on its toes. At Redtwist, everyone is close enough to the action to get blood-spattered or grazed with a corpse."
Around The Town Chicago
- Recommended
"...This is definitely an ensemble piece as each actor must rely on the others to make the script meaningful. The cast is composed of: James Lewis, Elijah Newman, Quinn Leary, Madelyn Loehr, Philip C. Mathhews, Sabine Wan, Joshua Servantez, Laura Sturm and Anne Sheridan Smith as Titus. These actors have quite a workout as they go back and forth, jump up on the table, get into fights, kill people, cut people, carry them off the set and spend 2 plus hours (there is one 15 minute intermission) running and working as well as playing their roles."
Buzz Center Stage
- Highly Recommended
"...TITUS ANDRONICUS, Shakespeare's bloodiest script, brings prejudice and the politics of revenge to the forefront - timely and apt, yeah? TITUS ANDRONICUS is one of the Bard's lesser-known plays; co-adaptors Dusty Brown, Caroline Kidwell and Jordan Gleaves showed courage and foresight in bringing this controversial story to the stage and are rewarded by the aptness of this story to 2025 America. Prejudice and revenge? Yeah."
The Fourth Walsh
- Recommended
"...General Tutus returns from a successful crusade. The General presents Tamora, Queen of the Goths, as a slave to the new Roman Emperor. The Emperor surprises everyone by deciding to marry Tamora instead of Titus' daughter Lavinia. Now, in a position of power, the new Empress seeks revenge against Titus for killing her son. Titus' family retaliates fueling murderous mayhem."
Third Coast Review
- Recommended
"...The last time I saw Titus Andronicus, it was promenade-style, staged in the attic of an old Gilded Age mansion in Morgan Park. The audience walked through the play as it was happening, and the interaction could be intense. Redtwist Theatre is staging a new adaptation by co-artistic director Dusty Brown with Jordan Gleaves and Caroline Kidwell. The cast is a gender flip with powerhouse Anne Sheridan Smith as the conquering general Titus Andronicus and Sabine Wan as Andronicus' sister Marcus. Dusty Brown also directed this black box production with a deft touch. His keen eye for projecting the intensity of Shakespeare's visceral tragedy gives everyone an intimate view."
Allie and the After Party
- Highly Recommended
"...Set in galley staging, the actors use the full theatre space to give us a never ending bloodbath that is Titus Andronicus. The actors masterfully enact their characters that have us gripped from beginning to end, handling the serious subject matters with a deft hand while also finding moments of comedy to balance it out."
NewCity Chicago
- Recommended
"...Directed by Dusty Brown in an adaptation by Brown, Jordan Gleaves and Kidwell, the show runs at a brisk two hours (plus an intermission). Some characters and deaths are cut. The adaptation switches genders for the characters of Titus, Marcus (Sabine Wan) and Bassianus, with Lavinia calling Titus "mother" instead of "father." The transposition works well and does not overly distort the text."
