Shakespeare's bloodiest play, Titus Andronicus, gets the Mad magazine treatment in Tragedy! (A Musical Comedy), a fitfully amusing musical from Michael Johnson (book, music, lyrics, and direction), Mary Davenport (book), and Thomas Baumgardner (additional material).
Narrating this tale of revenge is Aaron the Moor, conceived here as a streetwise, smart-mouthed thug (the compellingly edgy Roger Casey) who provides an anachronistic bridge to this screwball ancient Rome. While the show matches the Bard's gruesome excesses -- rape, dismemberment, and cannibalism -- with comic ones, they are not always successful: Puerile gay humor loses its punch early on, but a variety of "hand" jokes that follow Lavinia's and Titus' loss of theirs are strung merrily together.
Johnson's score is similarly uneven. While he has a way with irony in his song titles and lyrics, his prerecorded music is melodically a shambles; the largely young cast often has difficulty maintaining pitch and tone. For audiences, maintaining patience with the show's haphazard zaniness is equally problematic.
Presented by Musical! (A Production Company) as part of the New York International Fringe Festival
at the Lucille Lortel Theatre, 121 Christopher St., NYC.
Aug. 21-26. Remaining performances: Wed., Aug. 22, 10 p.m.; Thu., Aug. 23, 1 p.m.; Sat., Aug. 25, 7:30 p.m.; Sun., Aug. 26, 5:15 p.m.
(212) 279-4488 or (888) 374-6436 or www.fringenyc.org.