'Othello' by William Shakespeare
7 November 2024
On Saturday we were at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon to see Tim Carroll’s new RSC production of ‘Othello’. After seeing Clint Dyer’s National Theatre production of ‘Othello’ set in a 1930s fascist state (reviewed here in March 2023) and Iqbal Khan’s RSC production in a contemporary setting with scenes of water-boarding and torture (reviewed here in June 2015), this was a much more conventional version of the play. Judith Bowden’s sparse set features a bare stage without furniture and simple but effective use of gauze curtains and beautiful Elizabethan costumes. This simplicity serves to focus all our attention on the acting, which is excellent throughout. The four principals are particularly strong: The English-American actor John Douglas Thompson plays Othello with an American accent, emphasising his role as the outsider; Will Keen is a quietly hissing Iago; Juliet Rylance’s Desdemona has a confident, cheerful positivity; and Anastasia Hille as Emilia visibly wears her guilt for the support she knows she should not have given Iago. James Oxley’s unaccompanied choral music (sung by the cast) provides a beautiful but sinister backdrop to the emerging tragedy.
posted by Robin Simpson @ 12:02 pm
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