Theatre for a New Audience’s Othello at the Intiman Theatre is a relentless, fast-paced staging of one of Shakespeare’s greatest tragedies. Most modern audiences need a few lines to let Shakespeare’s language and rhythms sink into their ear. Director Arin Arbus denies us this luxury and kicks off the play with Iago ripping through his opening lines at breakneck speed warning us to hold on to our seats; it’s going to be a wild ride.

John Campion’s Iago was for me the highlight of the show. I’ve only ever seen Iago played by young, ambitious men (Act I scene iii has Iago give his age: “I have looked upon the world for four times seven years” - of course, Iago is a consummate liar). Campion’s Iago is grey-haired and bearded, with a world-weary look that puts him well into middle age. This changes the dynamic of his relationship to Othello, Roderigo and Cassio - Iago comes across as a father figure, which heightens both the sense of trust that everyone places in him and the horror of Iago’s abuse of that trust. The scenes where Iago cautions Othello against rash judgment and green-eyed jealousy even as he works Othello into a frenzy were particularly powerful.

Campion speaks with a vaguely Eastern European accent, evoking the impression that Iago was being played by Shylock. Indeed the text gives some clue that Iago is Jewish (“Good heaven, the souls of all my tribe defend from jealousy!”, III:iii). Playing up Iago’s Jewishness creates a play not about one outsider, but about two. Iago’s drab brown uniform, in contrast to the blue satin garb of the other Venetians, increases Iago’s otherness with an economic disparity as well. These nuances add depth to Iago’s jealousy as he sees the Moor achieving far greater success in his career, his marriage and society in general.

Campion’s Iago was rounded out with a hunched back and occasional moments of sinister, melodramatic glee that gave him a touch of Richard the Third as well.

Sean Patrick Thomas gave us a smooth, confident Othello. In contrast to the aged Iago, this Othello is younger than the text implies - Thomas certainly gives Desdemona more to fall in love with than old war stories. Thomas never quite thunders - he doesn’t reach the levels of bombast we normally associate with the General. Indeed, the most commanding voice in this production belonged to Stevie Ray Dallimore’s Senior Brabantio, who shuns the reading of a begrudging acceptance of his daughter’s marriage in favor of dismissing the couple with unrelenting cruelty. But cannot a senator be powerful and a warrior, after a rest of ‘nine moons wasted’ and newly married, be gentle? Thomas’ Othello was fresh.

Desdemona has a difficult role. She acts as a sharp contrast to Othello, not only in the obvious ways (man vs. woman, dark vs. fair, differences in social class), but more importantly: where Othello is too, too quick to believe the worst in her at the thinnest of evidence, Desdemona refuses to believe that Othello is capable of murder, even as Othello is plainly stating his intentions. This is a dramatically interesting contrast, but often Desdemona just seems to be in denial. Another challenge to the role, most of Desdemona’s lines involve pleading: pleading for her father to accept her marriage, pleading for Cassio to be re-instated, pleading for Othello to return to his senses, and finally pleading for her life.

Elisabeth Waterston’s Desdemona fell into some of these traps, often sounding plaintive, ending lines on a rise in pitch where our ear expects a fall, and so on. But she did manage a great deal of warmth and humor when flirting with Othello over Cassio’s fall from grace, and her singing of the willow song was moving. Indeed that last scene between Desdemona and Kate Forbes’ Emilia was quite touching - a calm before the storm. Desdemona’s death was rather vivid - with Desdemona face down and Othello mounted on top. The image evoked one of Iago’s first insults, that the Moor and Brabantio’s daughter were ‘making the beast with two backs’. Here after so many false accusations of infidelity we finally see a marriage bed truly defiled.

I didn’t so much approve of what Arbus did with Bianca’s role. Bianca is brought into the drinking scene with Cassio and the other soldiers where she dances about, carousing with the men, even pressing one besotted old soldier into her breasts in an attempt to inflame Cassio with jealousy. In later scenes, Cassio talks rudely of Bianca and her love for him (“I marry her! what? a customer! Prithee, bear some charity to my wit” - I love the ambiguity of this line: who precisely is the customer, and who the whore?), and Iago is quick to jump on that and accuse Bianca of harlotry towards the play’s conclusion. But all of those barbs lose their sting if Bianca is actually played as a common whore, rather than a courtesan - who is at least Cassio’s ‘kept woman’, if not of higher social standing as a ‘courtier’.

Bianca is an important foil to Othello. She has just as much evidence against Cassio as Othello does (i.e., nothing but a strawberry handkerchief), but Bianca is willing to let Cassio prove himself true or false by his actions, rather than being ruled by supposition and fear. I felt her dramatic value was decreased by playing her so rudely - I don’t believe her when she cries “I’m no strumpet!” - we suspect she is just a prostitute who shouldn’t watch Pretty Woman quite so often.

Directors often have Emilia die on the floor. I suppose they’re shooting for a Romeo and Juliet finish, with the two lovers taking center stage, while Paris/Emilia are just corpses in the background. But the dying Emilia asks to be laid at her mistress’ side, and Lodovico commands Iago to “Look on the tragic loading of this bed”. In a play that revolves around insinuations of adultery, a tangle of three bodies might leave a stronger impression. By minimizing the tragedy of Emilia’s death, directors miss the dramatic irony - Iago has often accused Emilia of sleeping with Othello, and finally he’s made it so.

To finish things off, the costume design was modern without being contemporary, the stage a bleak square of worn down planking, the lighting stark - the simplicity of the technical elements kept the focus on the actors. The fight scenes were well choreographed and had an element of danger often lacking in this safety-first, block before the blow has even started era of stage combat. (This is the first time I’ve heard an audience member scream during a fight scene.) I appreciated the live musical elements - kudos to Lucas Steele’s strumming his lute with a feather for a pick.

All in all, Theatre for a New Audience’s Othello was a fresh, energetic interpretation. The Intiman has extended the run of Othello through August 9th.

(Photos: Chris Bennion ©2009.)

Jul 20, 2009 | permalink