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Blood.

Blood everywhere. On the clothes. The steps. Running in rivers and spurting out of necks.

Welcome to Shakespeare's "Titus Andronicus," which Arizona Repertory Theatre opened Wednesday.

There are so many killings, beheadings and chopping off of hands that keeping count seems futile (though it's been done: we read somewhere that there is an atrocity committed once every 97 lines).

This early Shakespeare is so outrageously over the top that it's almost campy.

But director Brent Gibbs chose not to camp up this sandals-and-togas production. He took it pretty seriously.

And he gave it some strange touches, such as a screen that flashed stage directions from the First Folio edition of the play. That actually worked nicely early in the production, when we were meeting character after character — it helped keep names straight.

However, as the play progressed, those stage directions just became a distraction, and a tad silly. "He kills her," one simply says. And then she is killed. Or "They shoot," and then they shoot.

They became a self-conscious device that added nothing other than "Look, we read the First Folio edition."

Here's the thing about "Titus": It isn't Shakespeare's brightest moment. It lacks the poetry, the plot, the purpose of most of his later plays.

That said, a bad Shakespeare is still a piece written by a master, and there are moments that show the promise the playwright eventually realized.

Such as when Marcus, Titus' brother, says, "Oh, why should nature build so foul a den, / Unless the gods delight in tragedies?" Even when he wasn't at his best he was pretty darn good.

There was some acting with a capital A going on in this production.

But there were some riveting portrayals, as well, such as Kevin Black's warrior, Titus. He found the humor in the play (no small feat), and he made a character that could easily be despicable into one with humanity. Jeremy Selim was also strong as Marcus, Titus' brother, as was Tim McKiernan as Saturninus, the spoiled emperor who hasn't a clue how to rule.

Nate Weisband's Goth, Aaron, was a deliciously evil character. There was absolutely nothing redeemable about his Aaron, and that is as Shakespeare wanted it. Aaron's last lines, as he is left to starve to death: "If one good deed in all my life I did, / I do repent it from my very soul." Truly not a nice person.

Equally evil were the Goths Chiron and Demetrius, played by John Shartzer and Jonathan Kobritz, respectively. The two actors oozed bad-guy vibes — they made Javier Bardem in "No Country for Old Men" seem like a thoughtful, compassionate person.

Their characterizations were helped immensely by Kyle Schellinger's nearly sinister costumes of fur and leather. In fact, all of Schellinger's costumes were stars of this show — they moved beautifully, helped define characters and showed a sense of style and wit.

"Titus" isn't Shakespeare's best, and it's not the best that Arizona Rep has had to offer. But if you like blood, if you really like blood, this is the play for you.