Othello at HOME
This 1980s-set Othello offers an accessible route into Shakespeare’s tragedy, but occasionally gets carried away.
Modernising Shakespeare is a perilous business. At best, it sheds new light on words we've known for centuries. At worst, it converts profound thoughts into cheesy platitudes. In Anthony Almeida’s production of Othello, there is a little of both.
1980s Britain, with its backdrop of domestic racial tension and international conflict in the form of the Falklands functions exactly how a well modernised Shakespeare should. It uses contemporary references to give the audience a route into understanding a centuries old text on their own terms.
However, this production works best when it uses that concept lightly. Does Othello need a believably duplicitous Iago who plays on racial prejudice? Absolutely. Does it need a top-down camera and a singalong to Come On Eileen? No, it does not. (Kudos to the couple who took this at face value, stood up, and joined in though. You are braver than I could ever hope to be.)
As Iago, Maanuv Thiara holds the show together with his slimy insincerity. He is hateful and watchable in equal measure, as any good villain should be.
Othello (Dwane Walcott) and Desdemona (Phoebe Smyth) have the requisite moments of chemistry at the beginning but both descend into histrionics as the plot stretches on, especially compared to the relative restraint of the rest of the cast.
The increasingly claustrophobic set (designed by Natasha Jenkins) should serve to gradually heighten the tension, but this is so on-the-nose that it strays into obvious, self-defeating territory.
Ultimately, this is a decent rendition of Othello which is punctured by occasional moments of self-indulgence. Those who know the play will still find things to enjoy, and those who are new to it will discover an easy route in to Shakespeare’s tale of envy and deceit.
