The Shakespeare tragedy Titus Andronicus is considered the Bard’s most violent work (and perhaps, most appealing to modern theatregoers) - and it has ardent fans.
The show takes the stage this weekend (note the poster to the left), and we have some interviews with the cast to share - the first is with Melanie Larch, who plays the Queen of the Goths. She jumped at the chance to be part of this production!
Q. What is Titus Andronicus about?
Mel: Basically, it's the fictional story of Titus, a general in the Roman army, who finds himself locked in a vicious cycle of revenge with Tamora, the Queen of the Goths.
Q. Why did you want to be part of this show?
Mel: Well, there are a couple of reasons. After playing Margaret in Richard III for the Alban back in 2013, I wanted to see how many other badass women Shakespeare came up with (laughs). I did some research into Titus, found out about Tamora, and thought, "Oh, it would be fun to play her someday." I didn't know if the opportunity would ever present itself. When I found out about auditions, I knew I had to go and take the chance to see what would happen. And now, here I am! (laughs)
The other reason is that it's been six years since I've done a show. After finishing Antigone for the Alban in 2014, I decided that since I was getting married a few months later, I was going to take a year off from performing to enjoy being a newlywed with my husband. About two months after our wedding, I landed my present job, which also required some time for transition and training, so then it was a matter of "okay, this year off thing may get stretched out a little longer." We also like to travel a lot and it's really difficult to do that and be involved with a production.
And there was also a bit of waiting for the right show to come along, too!
Q. Tell us about the character you play.
Mel: I play Tamora, the Queen of the Goths, who have been at war with the Roman forces for 10 years. At the beginning of the play, Titus has returned to Rome with her as his prisoner, along with her sons Alarbus, Demetrius, and Chiron, and Aaron the Moor, who is her secret lover. When Titus orders the sacrifice of her eldest son to avenge the deaths of so many of his sons at the hands of the Goths, Tamora vows revenge on Titus and his family, thus starting the whole vicious cycle of revenge that follows.
Q. What is your background in theatre?
Mel: I've basically been doing theatre my entire adult life. The first local group I worked with was the Charleston Light Opera Guild and a lot of my body of work is in musical theatre. But I always knew I wanted to do straight plays, too and just kept trying out for lots of different things. I've also done opera, operetta, choral music, been a vocal soloist with the West Virginia Symphony, done background vocals on a couple of albums - even a couple of indy horror films! Like any actor, there's been my share of "ones that got away," but I've been blessedly lucky to do the things I've done!
Especially this show - it’s wonderful to be part of such a smart, talented, and all around good bunch people who all bring something to the table to make this piece come together. There's been this wonderful spirit of cooperation and bouncing ideas off of each other, and just generally working together for the good of the whole project. I've been reading my friend Mark Larson's book, "Ensemble: An Oral History of Chicago Theatre" and I see a lot of parallels between what we're doing with The Titus Project and the idea of ensemble theatre.
Q. This is considered to be Shakespeare's most violent play - does that make it more challenging for the cast?
Mel: We've had some discussions during rehearsal about the nature of the violence, but I don't think any of us have significant qualms about it. Staging the various acts of violence can be challenging, yes. We've taken great care to work with that throughout our process so that things will look violent to the audience, while keeping ourselves safe so we can live to fight another day.
Q. Why would you recommend this show to our readers?
Mel: Well, how about the fact we're performing it in a distillery? (laughs) Our performance space is The Bullock Distillery on Charleston's West Side (Elk City), not too far from Gonzoburger, Books & Brews, and a lot of other new businesses that are popping up in that area. We're also part of the Celtic Calling event that's been taking place in Charleston for the last several years. And who doesn't enjoy a good story of revenge every now and then?
Thanks, Mel!
“Titus Andronicus” - The Shakespeare tragedy will be presented at The Bullock Distillery at 121 West Washington Street in Elk City (Charleston) on March 5, 6 and 7 at 8 p.m. Tickets are $15 general admission, $12 for senior citizens and $10 for students.
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