Anthony Almeida’s Othello takes on the task of reminding modern audiences about the immediate and perpetual relevance of Shakespeare. Taking on a multi-media, multi-level formatting, the direction strikes a seamless balance of never feeling ambitious for ambition’s sake. Everything has its place and reason; it is beautiful, frustrating, and personal.
Othello follows a tale of manipulation from the inside of a group. Othello is a commander led to accuse his wife, Desdemona, and close friend and ally, Cassio, of having an affair. The man weaving these seeds of distrust is Iago, his second-in-command. Almeida takes Othello to the stage with the intention of reframing this mistrust and deception, believing that Othello isn’t really about jealousy at all but, rather, behaviour. What does it cost to reach a sense of belonging — and would we recognise having it?
Sara Mackenzie’s costume design plays a brilliant role in recontextualising the classic. The production is set in 1980s Britain, a time when Britain was restructuring and redefining itself — and where more distinct are class lines and hierarchy than the military? Desdemona (Phoebe Smyth) is first and finally shown wearing her white wedding dress, but in between moves through light-weight loud prints to military-wife wear, highlighting her individuality in line with her relationship to her husband. Roderigo (Matthieu Sys) blindly believes all Iago tells him and is fittingly dressed in both Schöffel and signet ring, where Iago (Maanuv Thiara) is in relaxed bomber jackets or military wear. The costuming pushes class themes sublimating the dynamics at play, making the characters recognisable and their betrayal of one another all the more immediate.
Dwane Walcott carries the role of Othello with the careful crescendo needed to win over a modern audience. In every scene he slowly but surely justifies his irrationality — questioning himself, only to turn to answers Iago places in his mind. Yet, Walcott doesn’t resort to letting Othello be blinded with rage or insanity, instead placing his reliance on the “honest Iago.”
Being a play at its core about homosocial bonds, the staging choices allow for a closer mirroring of Iago and Othello with Desdemona and Emilia, played by Rebecca Banatvala. These extended scenes with Desdemona and Emilia in particular saw them dance around the stage together, showing the camaraderie between them. The only other musical break in the play is for ‘Come On Eileen,’ where the stage turns raucous and male homosocial bonds lead to Iago breaking Othello’s trust in Cassio.
Thiara boils blood as Iago all the way to his treacherous end, and Walcott’s portrayal of Othello’s betrayal of Desdemona shakes the room to its core. The set design choices create levels to the stage that become a cage for the characters’ final confrontations. There is something quite satisfying about seeing a well-loved and well-worn classic such as this — Almeida’s adaptation will have you coming away thinking you’ve seen something new and wonderful come to life.
Image by Marc Brenner, provided to The Student for press use.
