Around 1590, eyeing the blood-drenched plays of his contemporaries, a young William Shakespeare was inspired to try writing his own. Titus Andronicus takes its title from the name of its protagonist, a beloved Roman general who returns home from a long war against the Goths, four prisoners in tow: the Goths’ queen, Tamora; her lover; and her two sons. Upon his return, Titus refuses to become the emperor. Fourteen murders follow. The director Jude Christian has cast women in all the leading roles. —Jensen Davis