REVIEW: Othello (Shakespeare Theatre Company [Harman])
Babe, wake up, STC’s seasonal star vehicle just dropped. This go-around brings us the vererable Wendell Pierce from the likes of The Wire and a recent revival of Death of a Salesman in a title turn in the double-edged Othello. It’s a proper return to the trend of saving their biggest name for a proper Shakespeare role, after last years’ going to the milquetoast Babbit starring Matthew Broderick. But keen eyes should take note of who else surrounds Mr. Pierce; Othello is a piece known for its rich supporting cast, so I had extra attention paid to the breadth of Simon Godwin’s production moreso than its star.
Book
Confession time, I’ve never seen Othello. I’ve read some of it — mostly about it— but had yet to see it put to stage before this production. (Scandalous, I know.) The good news is that I'm a fan now. This tragedy covers a lot of juicy conflicts, mostly centering on a theme of betrayal. The way it manifests in the piece is chiefly through the titular Othello, a noteworthy military leader, as he passes up his right-hand man Iago for a general position in favor of a new kid on the block named Cassio. In response, he fabricates a venom of his newly-eloped wife Desemona's reputation by painting her as some harlot with Cassio. It's a sour plot, full of twists and crinkly turns, and one that you can find a lot of lore and detail within. It's also a very early analysis of race in a period where it is not often scrutinized as a source of societal malice, which from a half-millennia-later lens continues to provide fodder for fruitful scrutiny. 9/10
Acting
As much as Othello revolves around its titular character -- a bawdy, sequoiant Wendell Pierce in this case -- the platform is much easier provided for the focal antagonist of Iago. Ben Turner makes sublimely easy use of it, brilliantly adapting manospheric tendencies of ill-tempered revenge and rage to make an emotionally complex and vividly acted turn as Shakespeare's most talked-about villain. Lucas Iverson, too, delivers what is likely the second-strongest performance in this production in his affably naive Cassio, who is wronged on all sides in a more sympathetic staging of this role. 9/10
Production
Godwin's masculine production can feel a bit sparse in its story cohesion at times, but has some sparks of promise in a few militaristic scenes (specifically, the shimmering curtain behind Othello as he speaks from a balcony was incredibly effective emulation of a harsh sea storm). Where the most missed potential lies is this militaristic theme, though; conflict can exist outside of war, and I find the placement of many Shakespeare tragedies in this context as uninspired. The recent Othello revival on Broadway was also aimed in this direction; New York critics were also largely unimpressed. Why is it that As You Like It and other lighter works get these "bold" re-envisionings, but the tragedies are stuck in this Modern Warfare personality? Luckily, the brigadiering costumes by Susan Hilferty & Sarita P. Fellows and the occaisionally harsh lighting from Amith Andrashaker enable this theme well, so nothing feels out-of-place; just below potential. 4/10
Viz
The photo they are using for the marketing of this production always perplexed me. Wendell is frenzily grasping a piece of parchment, wearing a suit, rushing towards the camera with a dazed expression. What does this tell us about Othello, much less this production? One could easily surmise it taking place in a newsroom (which sounds kind of cool to me if there are any directors reading this.) The scrim leans a lot better into Godwin’s vision, though, with a dusty campground surrounding a glowing oil barrel. On the sides are some strewn-about chairs and a dartboard with Cassio’s face on it, a humorously quiet introduction to the initial conflict of the piece. 6/10
Verdict
Othello at STC is a wrought, exciting production, with plenty of great performances in a staging that could stand to hold more physical importance.
28/40
