This was an absolutely visually stunning production. Everything from the set, to the music, costumes, and lighting was simply gorgeous. While this production has received some controversial reviews, I genuinely enjoyed Tim Carroll's vision (even though it was nearly 3 hours long). It was a lovely and (mostly) traditional production of Othello.
The set was very minimalistic, with no props or furniture pieces. Designed by, Judith Bowden, it featured a gorgeous cage/square of rope center stage and some panels of rope that moved around the upstage area to create a sort of screen effect and more visual movement throughout the play. The rope box downstage was only used in the very opening sequence, and then once again during the final scene, to represent both the curtains of Othello and Desdemona's bed, and effectively a cage for the dead souls. The use of this feature was simply breathtaking. The costume design, also by Judith Bowden, was very traditional and lovely. Paule Constable's lighting design was brilliant, I loved the way the boarders of the stage both on the floor and ceiling represented an outlined playing space. Donato Wharton's sound design paired with James Oxley's composition was beautifully haunting.
The cast was phenomenal, John Douglas Thompson delivered a mature and mesmerizing performance as Othello. The way his voice carried in the Royal Shakespeare Theatre was just amazing. Juliet Rylance was a lovely and demure Desdemona, her performance during the Willow sene was very moving. Will Keen's Iago was not as traditional as many critics wanted, he wasn't a charismatic maniacal plotting villain- instead, he was cerebral, calm, and calculated, which I thought made Iago all the more scary. For me, the truly standout performance was Anastasia Hille as Emilia. Her performance in the final scene was just incredible, she was an absolute force on that stage.
From a directorial standpoint, this was a very traditional production in its concept/setting, to the point where there was basically no acknowledgement of the issue of race in the play- which makes me question how this play sits in the context of 21st century Shakespeare and how these plays exist in these critical conversations- anyways... the cast was a bit older than is typical, but I thought their maturity added a level of reverence which often gets lost in the violent nature of this play. The whole play seemed to be set in a mindscape, having actors enter before their cues and hover outside of the bounds of the outlined playing space until their cue to enter. I wasn't bothered by this choice, I think it actually played right into the concept of the play as a whole, and justified a lot of the more controversial choices, and the lack of furniture/props and physical action. One of Carroll's most controversial choices was to have this be a completely blood-less tragedy. During the fight scenes at the end, the distinct choice was made to have all the active characters stand in their own spotlights on an otherwise dark stage and perform outwards. So when Cassio and Roderigo
get into a fight and people get stabbed, there was no physical contact and it just felt off. The production overall lacked physical contact. There was a lovely moment when John Douglas Thompson grabbed Will Keen by the collar, and that moment was amazing, I made me wish there was more of that.
Even more controversially, Desdemona's strangling happened entirely in the dark. I really didn't hate this choice, I think it textually works, and I don't think it takes away from the intensity or stakes at all- because we didn't know what the lights were going to come up to. I am going to spoil my favorite directorial choice: after Desdemona's death, she 'came back to life' and remained in the cage of he bed curtains to watch the remaining action of the play. I audibly gasped when she reached her hand out to invite Emilia in with her after her death. That was such a powerful moment, these two women standing together in death at the hands of their husbands. At the very end, Othello did join her in the 'cage,' and the final image of the play was their silhouettes holding hands, which I'm pretty neutral about as a choice. I understand that Desdemona never truly blames Othello and holds no animosity for him as she dies, but I just don't love the idea that they get to be together again after this life, like he literally killed her. She was a victim of his fragile masculinity and I don't think he deserves her forgiveness and love in the afterlife. But I thought the image was beautiful and my opinion on the matter is not the be-all and end-all of Shakespearean interpretation.
Overall it was a lovely production and while I didn't agree with every directorial choice, they were all still valid. It was a lovely production, and impressively kept me engaged for nearly three hours.
Rating: 3.5/5
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