By Robert Simonson
10 Jul 2006

Fugly Productions will present the new "punk rock musical" TITUS X: THE MUSICAL in all its capitalized glory, at the Off-Broadway space Tank (279 Church Street between Franklin and White streets in Manhattan) beginning July 27. Opening is Aug. 24

The show, previously seen as part of the New York Musical Theatre Festival, is described as "the story of a victorious soldier returning home to Rome after losing most of his sons to war. He observes the religious rites of human sacrifice, killing the son of Tamora, Queen of the Goths, and setting in motion a violent chain reaction of revenge, which includes: the rape and disfigurement of Titus' daughter, the execution of two of his sons, the exile of a third, and the amputation of his hand. Titus, losing his sanity, sets his own gory revenge in motion, killing Tamora's two remaining sons, baking them in a pie, and feeding them to her at a banquet, by the end of which, all of the guests are dead."

The story was given a famously gory treatment by Shakespeare in Titus Andronicus.

The musical, by Shawn Northrip, has been performed at the Kennedy Center 2002 Page to Stage Festival, Catholic University, the Washington New Play Festival, Source Theatre and at Chashama.

The cast includes Pete Schuyler, Ben Pryor and Joe Pindelski.

Tickets for TITUS X: THE MUSICAL are $10 and can be purchased by calling SmartTix at (212) 868-4444 or by visiting www.smarttix.com.