27 September 2013
On Thursday we were
part of an audience of more than 100,000, in cinemas across the
world, to watch a live broadcast from the National Theatre in London
of Nicholas Hytner's production of Shakespeare's 'Othello'. This
latest NT Live broadcast demonstrated the growing popularity of live
screenings of theatre: at Cineworld in Milton Keynes, where we
watched the performance, it was being shown simultaneously on three
screens, each of which was almost sold out. Hytner's production sets
the play in a contemporary military base which could be in Iraq or
Afghanistan. The prosaic background of the soldiers' quarters made
the action feel more real and the violence was particularly shocking.
The scene in the gents toilets, with Othello hiding in a cubicle to
overhear Iago and Cassio, was especially effective. 'Othello' is very
much a two-hander and both the lead performances here were fantastic.
Adrian Lester showed Othello's power and vulnerability in a
wonderfully physical performance and Rory Kinnear's Iago was twitchy,
shifty, sinister and incredibly funny. Olivia Vinnall was great as a
tiny but powerful Desdemona whose despair towards the end of the play
was palpable. Watching the production on the big screen showed every
minute facial expression as the cameras kept close to the action in a
series of small, claustrophobic rooms and it is so satisfying to be
able to hear every word of the text so clearly.
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