13th November 2018
Presented by English Touring Theatre in association with Oxford Playhouse and Shakespeare at the Tobacco Factory
Directed by Richard Twyman
Othello at Northern Stage was a sell-out show, perhaps with good reason, considering the very contemporary themes it portrays. I doubt any other of Shakespeare's plays could be quite so pertinent to the current political climate. A Moor, in a Christian society. At once accepted for his military prowess, praised for his success in battle, sought after for his skill on the battlefield, and yet not quite welcomed wholeheartedly into society. He is befriended by Brabantio, brought in to his household as an honoured guest...and yet it seems he was more of a trophy than a friend. He falls in love with Brabantio's daughter and they marry in secret. Surely, if he was held in such high regard, the secrecy should not matter? And yet it does. When the marriage is made known to Brabantio he is furious, claiming Othello must have used some drug or witchcraft to beguile Desdemona. There has been no guile - after hearing his tales of survival in life and in battle, Desdemona has fallen for Othello as surely and completely as he has fallen for her gentleness and acceptance of him. The pair are aware of their worth - he as an asset on the battlefield, she as an asset in society. Brabantio's anger stems from the loss of his daughter as a bargaining chip to further his family's fortunes, and his perceived loss of face.
And through it all there is Iago, self-serving, underhand. He has been overlooked by Othello who has promoted Cassio younger, and less experienced to be his lieutenant. Iago sees only that a boy has gained preferment due to privilege of family and rank rather than experience and proven ability. In addition, Iago has imagined himself cuckolded by Othello and so seeks to ruin the happiness and love he has found with Desdemona. Iago is an opportunist, driven by envy, he sees men's weaknesses and uses them to his own advantage. He feigns friendship and loyalty and manipulates with such skill that a single word from him creates a devastating chain reaction.
Victor Oshin is a younger Othello than you might expect, but the discrepancy between his age and battlefield experience is a small hole in the plot. The joy he shows in the love of Desdemona is much more befitting a younger man than an old general. The relationship between the two is bright and beautiful, and filled with passion, which makes the later betrayal all the more shocking.
There are no small or shallow emotions in this play - the jealousies writhe around each character, passions run high, from the love between Othello and Desdemona to the fury of Brabantio, the lustful desire of Roderigo to the seething envy of Iago.
The male characters bring dark and foreboding passions - love turns to lust, the celebration of Othello's marriage turns from the beauty of the wedding dance to the debauchery and drunkenness of the soldiers. The women bring colour and light to the stage - in their brightly coloured clothes, their chatter and singing. The openness of the friendship between Desdemona and Emilia is in sharp contrast to that of Iago and Othello. Kitty Archer as Desdemona and Kelly Price as Emilia give natural and convincing performances.
The minimalist staging means that all the audiences concentration is on the characters - there is actually very little in the way of action. The battles are implied, fight scenes when they occur are swift and sudden. For most of the play they stage is empty with only white strip lights, like the bars of a cage into which the cast carry the sparest of props when needed. This is all about the emotion and the words that convey it.
I found it captivating - not least because it was so different to other productions I have seen. Usually I am silently screaming at Othello for not seeing through Iago, and for not trusting Desdemona. But Paul McEwan's Iago is not what I expected. At first I did feel he had been miscast but as the play progressed he played "honest" Iago so well that I could see why he was so totally trusted by all. Even when he spoke his intentions to the audience, he did so with little guile and succeeded in making us feel that his grievance might be justified. Only in his dealings with Roderigo did his façade slip and we glimpsed him in his truer colours.
The production moves on to its final venue at the Lighthouse Theatre Poole from the 20th - 24th November.
Images by Helen Murray
Denise Sparrowhawk
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