In the programme for Othello it says that the company "aims to invite our audience to steal a look into the secret and private world of Shakespeare's characters." This intimate and highly charged production did just that. The close underground theatre with the audience surrounding three sides of a small stage was ideal for a play as psychologically intense as Othello. We could see every facial expression very clearly so the actors were able to include subtle expressions, winks and glances to give a very rich interpretation of the characters.
The director's Baz Lurhmann influence, which she also mentions in the programme, was particularly apparent in the drunken fight scene in which repetition of lines, modern music and over energetic movement really created the atmosphere and put across the mood of the scene very well and reminded me of the Queen Mab speech in Lurhmann's Romeo + Juliet film. The fight, choreographed by Dominic Leeder who also played a fine Lodovico, was first rate; more than once I cringed and looked away at a particularly realistic punch or kick.
This was a high energy production throughout, keeping the pace fast with characters moving around the stage constantly. This also meant that despite the difficulties of having to play to audiences on all sides we were never looking at the back of anyone's head for long. The supporting roles were especially lively and energetic; Gemma Barret as Bianca and Chris Paddon as Roderigo were particularly fun to watch
When El Razzougui first emerged on stage as Othello my initial thought was that he was too handsome for the role, Othello is described in the play as being significantly older and lines such as "In my youth" seemed a bit incongruous with his youthful appearance. However he gave a powerful performance and there was palpable chemistry between him and Devon Lang Wilton as Desdemona which helped draw us in and added to the tragedy of the second act.
Of course the real central character of the play is the scheming Iago, who brings about Othello's downfall by suggesting his wife Desdemona is going behind his back with his lieutenant Cassio. Iago is the ultimate villain, he seems to have no concrete reason for concocting this terrible revenge and shows not a shred of remorse. Tom Fava was truly excellent in the role. He resisted the easy temptation of becoming a pantomime baddy and gave us just the right mixture of the camp super-villian and the creepy guy at the back of the bus. His sneering smile was chilling and I felt privileged to see such a talented actor in his London Fringe debut.
The women in Othello can be problematic for a modern interpretation, particularly towards the end as a blameless Desdemona constantly pleads forgiveness from her husband who murders her. This production balanced the anti-feminist undertones of the play by making other strong women characters. The Duke was turned into a female character played by an excellently authoritative Rowena Lennon. Bianca was also brilliantly reinvented to be a communications private so she came across as more of a modern independent feisty woman than the more usual slutty hanger-on. Possibly the strongest woman though was Iago's wife Emilia whose speech to Desdemona about how men should we wary of how they treat their women was one of my favourite moments. Exposing her husband loudly and with fury in the end scene, fighting her husband all the way, her death was a real contrast to Desdemona's. The only problem was it was difficult for us to understand why, as she seemed so modern and outspoken, she had handed Desdemona's handkerchief over to Iago without demanding to know the reason he wanted it. I thought we could have seen a little bit more of a realisation and dilemma from her earlier on to combat this.
I liked the way the production was not afraid to retain some comedy in the play, lighter moments helped break the tension in order for it to be built back up again. The production ranged from being disconcerting to being darkly funny and this kept it highly entertaining throughout.
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