Othello

This Othello successfully drags Shakespeare kicking and screaming into the 21^st century.

The main action unfolds against a background of desert warfare, Victoria Lamb’s set and costume design chillingly evocative of battlefields in Iraq and Afghanistan.  The prevailing atmosphere of bleak desolation is enhanced by the nuanced mood-lighting of Geoff Cobham and the pounding force of Jason Sweeney’s techno-infused score.

The text remains largely unaltered, but the cast deliver Shakespeare’s Elizabethan dialogue with the fresh rhythmic inflections of modern street talk.

The performances of the two leads are somewhat uneven. Hazem Shammas plays Othello with great dignity, and makes for a convincingly authoritative military leader. But he chooses to underplay the character’s jealous rage, diminishing the intensity of the play’s dramatic climax. Renato Musolino perfectly captures Iago’s burning resentment and delivers various conspiratorial asides with an amusingly cocksure swagger that provoked much hearty laughter from the audience.  However, he didn’t project as much charm in relating to the rest of the cast as he did in relating to the audience and at times, it seemed implausible that the other characters would trust Iago so readily as they do.

The supporting cast are consistently solid. Ashton Malcolm makes for an unusually bubbly, flirty Desdomona and it’s an intelligent “thinking outside the square” performance. Much the same can be said about Elena Carapetis’ tough, ballsy take on Emilia. Taylor Wiese and James Smith’s interpretations of Cassio and Roderigo are comparatively more conventional, but strikingly intense and deeply passionate nonetheless.

Director Jelk’s blocking of the action is visually arresting without being ostentatious, as is Duncan Maxwell’s realistic, rough n’ tumble fight choreography.

All things considered, there is not a dull moment to be had in this lively, invigorating production. Recommended.

Benjamin Orchard