Although Christopher Marlowe was a contemporary of William Shakespeare, and was said to have influenced the Bard, he never achieved the same renown as Shakespeare due to his sudden death at age 29. If he had lived, he might have been as prominent, if not more so, as Shakespeare. Tamburlaine, Marlowe’s first staged play and the only one published while he was living, was such a success on the London stage, that Part II was written shortly thereafter. It is easy to see why this enthralling epic tragedy was so popular. It chronicles a member of the underclass on his meteoric rise as conqueror of the many empires and kingdoms throughout Asia, Africa and the Near East.

Now, Tamburlaine, Parts I and II can find a new audience in an astounding production by Theatre for a New Audience at the Polonsky Shakespeare Center. Spanning decades, the play follows the often monstrous, tyrannical usurper Tamburlaine (John Douglas Thompson), who has a singular determination to vanquish his enemies and raze his path to glory. Tamburlaine is a man with an obsessive drive to take over the world at any cost. His behavior is impulsive at times, with an almost childlike quest to collect as many king’s crowns as possible.

Thompson is brilliant as Tamburlaine. He has the physicality to sustain the brutish intensity and ferocity of the role. Tamburlaine’s appalling acts of violence are relentless and often shocking in their brutality. Yet, despite the horrors Tamburlaine commits, Thompson infuses him with humanity, making him a sympathetic character when tragedies beset him. The tenderness he displays toward his beloved Zenocrate (played regally by Merritt Janson) is particularly touching.

The 19 actors play 60 different characters, a feat seamlessly accomplished by performances consistently rich and compelling. Standouts include Saxon Palmer, at once a deceitful Persian prince intent on holding the crown for himself, as well as the cowardly Governor of Babylon; the phenomenal Chukwudi Iwuji, as Turkish emperor Bajazeth; Patrice Johnson Chevannes, who plays his wife Zabina with passion and venom; and Paul Lazar, who opens the play as the buffoonish King Mycetes eating a chicken wing before handing off the bone to an audience member.

The costumes (Tom Piper), are a mixture of period and contemporary, and add a dream-like surrealness to the play. The many shiny crowns (prop design by Kathy Fabian) become symbols of Tamburlaine’s insatiable desire for power. The atmospheric lighting design (Matthew Richards) is intentionally harsh at times; sometimes the house lights are all the way on. At other times, it is moodily dark. A percussionist (Arthur Solari) effectively builds the dramatic tension.

The set, also by Piper, is stripped bare, except for platforms staged at varying levels around the cavernous theater and clear vinyl curtains, like in a butcher shop. Indeed, the stage becomes something of a butcher shop as the play turns into a blood bath, the set a blank canvas for the bright red blood that trickles like rain from the ceiling and gets thrown by the bucket-load at the myriad victims of Tamburlaine’s savagery. The blood is everywhere, often appearing out of nowhere, painted on clothing, and poured over heads, Carrie-style. There is actually very little stage combat. When a character is executed, the blood appears as if by magic.

Although three hours long, Tamburlaine is both engaging and exciting. There is never a dull moment. Director Michael Boyd also adapted the original manuscript, editing it down so that both parts, normally presented separately, could be performed back to back. The result is tremendous, a consistently thrilling masterpiece.

Tamburlaine, Parts I and II is directed by Michael Boyd. Cast: John Douglas Thompson, Oberon K.A. Adjepong, Carlo Alban, Matthew Amendt, Nilanjana Bose, Vasile Flutur, Caroline Hewitt, Andrew Hovelson, Zachary Infante, Chukwudi Iwuji, Merritt Janson, Patrice Johnson Chevannes, Paul Lazar, Tom O’Keefe, Saxon Palmer, Ian Saint-Germaine, Steven Skybell, Keith Randolph Smith, and James Udom.  Choreography: Sam Pinkleton; Sets and Costumes: Tom Piper; Lighting: Matthew Richards; Sound Design/Additional Composition: Jane Shaw; Percussion Composition: Arthur Solari; Special Effects: Jeremy Chernick; Props: Kathy Fabian/Propstar; Vocal Coach: Alison Bomber; Fight Director: J. Allen Suddeth; Dramaturg: Jonathan Kalb; and Production Stage Manager: Cole Bonenberger. The production runs through December 21 at the Polonsky Shakespeare Center: https://www.tfana.org/season-2015/tamburlaine/overview.