The play is unique among Shakespeare's work in having a contemporary sketch of an early performance. The sketch, known as the Peachum illustration, depicts an unspecified scene, and shows an eclectic mix of costumes including Roman togas and Elizabethan costuming. Provenance and stage authenticity are difficult to assert but it remains a vital document for the study of Elizabethan theatre.


The first recorded performances of Titus Andronicus are mentioned in the notebooks of the theatrical manager, Philip Henslowe in 1594. The theatre is not specified and no cast details exist but it is thought that the theatre was the Rose. During this period, details of specific performances are rare but the play was printed in 1594, 1600, and 1611, which demonstrates popularity throughout Shakespeare's lifetime. Further evidence is supplied by Shakespeare's rival, Ben Jonson, who refers to the play in Bartholomew Fair (1614), which suggests it was a familiar reference for at least some of the Jacobean audience.

Between Shakespeare's death and 1923 Titus Andronicus appeared only in adapted form. The first of these adaptations was published in 1687: Edward Ravenscroft's Titus Andronicus: or, the Rape of Lavinia, which underlined the role of Aaron. In the preliminaries Ravenscroft commented unfavourably on the original 'It seems rather a heap of rubbish than a structure'. The adaptation was staged at Drury Lane in the early eighteenth century and the star actor of the company, James Quin, chose to play the role of Aaron. The same role inspired Ira Aldridge, the prominent black actor in the nineteenth century, to add a version of the play to his touring repertoire. The adapted text hasn't survived but contemporary accounts suggest the plot was sanitized, cutting much of the violence and presenting Aaron as a
noble character.


Despite occasional performances in adapted form the play did not attract the attention of main actors or stage managers of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. The reasons behind the dearth in productions are not clear but perhaps are a combination of the extreme violent subject matter, doubts over Shakespeare's authorship, and a perceived lack of a clear staring role contributed to the play being overlooked.


The first professional production of modern times came in 1923 directed by Robert Atkins at Old Vic. The revival was not inspired by the perceived merit of the play but because the Old Vic was attempting to stage the entire Shakespearean canon and Titus Andronicus was one of the two remaining unperformed plays (the last play to be performed was Troilus and Cressida). The final scenes of the play drew unintentional laughter from the audience.

The first critically acclaimed production of modern times was Peter Brook's 1955 production at the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre (renamed Royal Shakespeare Theatre in 1961), with Laurence Olivier as a world-weary Titus, Vivian Leigh as Lavinia, and Antony Quayle as Aaron. The violence was stylized throughout with Lavinia's wounds famously portrayed by bloodstained streamers from wrists and mouth. For many, this was the first time the play's disparate elements had been presented as a satisfying, unified whole. This was a landmark production for both the play and the young director.

Despite this success the play has subsequently often been played in abbreviated versions. In 1957, the Old Vic reduced the text in order to present a double bill with The Comedy of Errors and in 1981 John Barton took a similar approach, by coupling the play with The Two Gentlemen of Verona. In the latter production Patrick Stewart played Titus.


Deborah Warner (1987) directed a full text production in the intimate space of the Swan for the Royal Shakespeare Company. The emotional power and unflinching depiction of violence had great impact and the production gained a well-earned reputation for causing members of the audience of faint. The production was lauded by critics and audiences and demonstrated for the first time that the play does not necessarily need to be cut to be a theatrical success.

Gregory Doran (1995) directed a production at the West Yorkshire Playhouse, which also toured South Africa. Antony Sher played Titus and the production made explicit parallels to South African politics. Doran and Sher recorded their experience in the subsequent book Woza Shakespeare!


More recently the play has been an unlikely candidate for Hollywood treatment in Titus, directed by Julie Taymor (1999), starring Anthony Hopkins as Titus. Taymor had directed a stage version in 1994 for the New York company, Theatre for a New Audience. The film included many ideas from the stage version and added a framing device involving Young Lucius, who is the focus of a prologue and epilogue and acts as a witness to the action throughout the film.


Since Shakespeare's age Titus Andronicus has never been considered one of the central plays in the Shakespearean canon. Directors, such as Peter Brook and Deborah Warner, have produced influential productions (in 1955 and 1987 respectively) that caused the play to be re-evaluated. Bill Alexander's current production for the Royal Shakespeare Company is a welcome opportunity to assess and enjoy the play once again.

by Jim Shaw, Shakespeare Institute, University of Birmingham