Showing @ Bedlam Theatre, Edinburgh until Sat 24 Aug @ 19:30

Although we like to imagine we live in enlightened times, the medieval issue of sexism still pockmarks current affairs; the anti-Page 3 campaign, Julia Gillard’s menu scandal. All female Shakespeare company Smooth Faced Gentlemen, present a simple yet powerful rendition of one of The Bard’s more macabre scripts, despite their lack of testosterone. While the tragic tale of Titus, a grieving father avenging his daughter’s maiming, is pared down to brief sixty-five minutes, the lurid grotesqueness of the performance ensures its acute impact.

Director Yaz Al-Shaater’s uncomplicated but engaging staging is a triumph, the medical-white mobile stage flats underpinning the simplicity but variety in her direction. They provide diversity between scenes, allow ghostly silhouette projection and, when splattered with the ample amounts of human claret, emphasise the gradual descent into an abattoir-type scenario. The replacement of replica armaments for a decorator’s arsenal of paintbrushes and rollers prevent the show from becoming too heavy, aided by many comedic moments. Haunting harmonies from the cast, accompany the bloody narrative enhancing the already gruesome atmosphere, though more could have been done with the predominantly stark lighting. Smooth Faced Gentlemen prove that traditionally male dominated productions can be just as effective without any Y-chromosomes.