9:26am Monday 28th June 2010
Ben Crocker's transposing of “Othello” from late sixteenth century Venice's defence of its Mediterranean empire to the mid nineteenth century Crimean War is nothing if not provocative; it runs the risk of drawing on the play for somewhat forced political parallels not central to Shakespeare's vision. The theme-insistent set, for instance, towering mountain of blackened Scutari hospital beds surmounted by a huge skewed golden picture frame , straight from Dali after Magritte,may deny the crucial visual and value contrasts between Venice and Cyprus, but it brilliantly represents the corrosive, distorting nature of Iago's view of life and love: he will “turn their virtue into pitch”, bring chaos out of order, turn gold to dross.
The production is rich in exhilarating, authoritative performances, notably Michael Mueller's superb Iago. Every facet of this complex role is given physical and vocal expression: Iago the master puppeteer, the Machiavellian malcontent, the cynical nihilist, the chameleon cum comedian, and above all a brilliant testimony to the play's central irony – it is Iago, not Othello who is “naturally jealous”, spinning motive out of his own bowels like a spider. Christopher Obi is less consistently convincing as Othello. This is in part due to a mannered flamboyance, sailing on occasions perilously close to caricature. His verse speaking only intermittently does justice to “the Othello music”, that faintly self-dramatising grandiloquence which enthrals Desdemona and captivates the Venetian Senate. Emily Pennant-Rea's Desdemona is a delight, combining delicacy with a true dignity of spirit. The “Willow Scene” with Zara Ramm's fiercely protective and tragically disenchanted Emilia is the most poignant I have seen in thirty years. Damien Matthews treats us to a magnificent Cassio, officer and gentleman with just the right touch of patrician condescension to inflame Iago. A master class in Shakespearean verse speaking. Catch this fine production while you can.
Ian Barge
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