Othello (Edinburgh, 2007)

Othello
Ctoo, Edinburgh, 2007


“A white Othello? How are they going to pull that off this time?” It is the inevitable challenge that any company, daring to put on this play with an all white cast, have to face. This semi-professional youth theatre company from Kent have opted for a bold approach by reinventing not only the Moor’s skin colour but the play that he inhabits. Translated into “The Shade”, Othello’s “thick lips” are now his “red eyes” and instead of “bright swords”, the battles in Venice and Cyprus are fought with “hard guns”. A disfigured albino is now the valiant general of the Venetian army; a brutal and salacious invading force that inevitably recalls the scummy dregs of the British military. On the whole it is a very convincing rendition and, aside from a few painful faults, the audience were treated to a refreshing and relevant night’s entertainment.
The director has found every means to entrench this play with the violent and promiscuous haze of an army with nothing to do, Sam Mendes recent film, Jarhead, provides a similar parallel. From Iago’s tempting of Rodrigo with filthy top-shelf porno, to the ear-bleeding soundtrack of metal music, the audience are engrossed in an immediately lascivious and darker world than we already expect in productions of the play.

From the fiercely charged and sparsely lit opening, it is clear that this company know what they are doing. They are rightfully rapid in their delivery of the verse, perhaps a little too rapid, but more often than not they can be forgiven by the convincing and unique power of their performances; such as the lanky and docile Rodrigo or an unexpectedly cunning and ambiguous Cassio. Iago has none of the moral ambiguity that some modern productions might opt for, he is quite simply a malicious bastard, jealous and spiteful towards the “Shade” and unforgiving in his vulgar brutality. He is given many brilliantly vicious moments, most memorably when he unscrupulously pockets the scattered money that Othello throws at Emilia in the “brothel” scene. The red-eyed Othello is both strong and uniquely lizard-like in his characterisation and would almost be entirely believable if the Desdemona was not so weak; a dreadfully plain performance with a delivery that resembled a toddler wagging her tongue. Unfortunately this single flaw dragged the production down and left me unconvinced and dissatisfied with such a mis-matched performance. But misfired casting aside, this was an impressive and strong production that breathed a new and brutal life into this challenging and difficult play.