Othello at Royal and Derngate Northampton Review
DISCLOSURE – TICKETS TO SEE THE SHOW WERE GIFTED TO THE REVIEWER AND GUEST FOR THE PURPOSES OF WRITING THE REVIEW
Reviewed by Janine Rumble
Othello, the timeless classic William Shakespeare tragedy has been given an up to date, more modern twist, making it more accessible and meaningful to today’s audiences. This production of Othello is set in the 1980s, around the time of the Falklands War.
Othello, directed by Anthony Almeida, follows the secret marriage of Othello and Desdemona, as war threatens, both literally and figuratively through Iago’s deceiving and conniving ways, until tragedy strikes.
Othello, is a Northern Stage, Home Manchester and Citizens Theatre Co-Production in association with Royal & Derngate, Northampton production.
The incredible cast of seven stood on the stage at the beginning of the play, as an introduction to themselves and to give the audience a glimpse of what was to come, Rebecca Banatvala plays Emilia, Chris Garner plays Brabantio, Phoebe Smyth plays Desdemona, Will Stanton plays Cassio, Matthieu Sys plays Roderigo, Maanuv Thiara plays Iago and Dwane Walcott plays the iconic Othello. Each actor brought their own take on their character and performed in such a way that even if you do not watch many Shakespeare plays, you were able to follow the story as it unfolded in front of you. The words are all Shakespeare and can be a little confusing at times to understand, but through the actors’ strong performances, you were able to understand the story being told. Each actor portrayed their character in such a way that you felt all the emotions being portrayed, the love, the anger, the despair, the manipulation, the betrayal, the need for vengeance and redemption.
The stage was very simple and cleverly used to great effect, with minimum props needed so you, the audience, were not distracted from the characters and their performance onstage. The props were very consistent with items from the 1980s, including a landline phone, a large television set showing actual footage of ITN news reports on the Falklands War.
The costumes were very reminiscent of the 80s, without being over the top and a caricature of the 80s and matched the characters with many of the actors in military dress at various times throughout the play.
Othello is on at the Royal until Saturday 17th October. Tickets are priced from £10 and can be purchased from the box office or online. With options for school only performances. There is also an audio described pre-show touch tour available on Wednesday 14th October.
The production is 2 hours and 50 minutes long including an interval.
Although I appreciated the talent of the cast in performing Othello, and having never seen Othello before, I have to say that I prefer other William Shakespeare plays to this one and for this reason I give it 3 and half stars out of 5. If you are a connoisseur of the works of William Shakespeare or a student of English literature, then you will appreciate it.
Content Warnings: Domestic violence, psychological manipulation, sexual references, themes related to racism and mental health, and death.
Rating: 3.5/5
Othello is on at the Royal until Saturday 17th October. Tickets are priced from £10 and can be purchased from the box office or by visiting royalandderngate.co.uk