The central theme of William Shakespeare’s Othello is jealousy. It’s what motivates Iago to manipulate everyone around him and what drives Othello himself to his tragic end. Iago, while “pouring pestilence into [Othello’s] ear”, warns his General of the “green-eyed monster”.
In many
ways, the character of Iago is projecting. He hates Othello for promoting
Cassio above him. He suspects both Othello and Cassio of sleeping with his wife,
Emilia. He may be in love with Othello’s wife, Desdemona. Jealousy feeds on the
meat of both men.
Iago’s
drive is complicated by the subject of race, too. Some of the dramatic tension is
driven by the suggestion that Othello is a black man. The character is described
by Shakespeare as a “Moor” and Iago, along with other characters, use racist
slurs to define him. Moor was a broad term in Elizabethan England, so his
ethnic origin can’t be exactly pinpointed, but the character is othered because
of his race.
Melbourne
Shakespeare Company’s production of this play, directed by Tanya Gerstle, focuses
on jealousy and misogyny – foregrounding the violence against women, the brutal
male characters and side-steps discussions of race in a couple of ways. Like
most modern productions of Shakespeare, Othello has been edited down
here: slicing out a number of characters and excising the racial slurs. And in
this show of five actors only, three are people of colour: Christopher Kirby in
the title role, Dushan Philips as Iago and Lucy Ansell in the dual roles of
Emilia and Bianca.
If Iago was
written to be enraged by the mixed-race marriage of Othello and Desdemona (scholars
differ on what Shakespeare was really saying here), Gerstle’s version puts a
pin in that angle altogether, which is a relief. With Cassio and Emilia cast as
a mixed-race couple as well, that problematic element is effectively suppressed.
But the cuts
to the script are heavy-handed. While the opening moments on stage are Othello
and Iago in war, where we see Iago strangle a woman who is trying to surrender,
most of the talk of battle and returning from conflict is gone. Iago doesn’t
confide in Roderigo here. There is no sign of Desdemona’s father, Brabantio, a
Senator, either.
The opening
strangulation is an obvious bookend to the final moments of Shakespeare’s play - while casting Iago as a villain without any other work required – but if this production
wants to criticise violence against women, why open like this? It’s confronting,
while also feeling a bit sensational.
Callum Dale’s
set design is minimal but effective in its desire to sometimes keep characters
at a remove. One of the Fortyfive Downstairs’ immovable columns takes centre
stage, surrounded by steps up to it. Sheer curtains hang the length of the playing
space and characters who aren’t part of the action can sometimes be seen
lurking in the wings. For example, the woman Iago killed in the opening moments
haunts him a couple of times later in the play – her image subtly lit behind
the curtains by Sidney Younger. Does PTSD figure into his motivations throughout?
It’s difficult to tell, but it’s an interesting gesture to why men might lose their
empathy or their sense of right and wrong during war.
Iago and
Othello are two of the longest parts in all of Shakespeare’s work – only beaten
by Hamlet and Richard III. Even with this productions’ edits, affecting the
character Iago the most (his murky motivations become more opaque), they are
still the central characters of the conflict. Dushan Philips’ Iago is calculating
and cruel, though early on opening night, he was rushing through some of the
dialogue. In fact, the early scenes with Philips and Christopher Kirby’s Othello
felt muddled because of the emphasis on physicality over enunciation.
Both actors
settled into the parts as the show moved on, with the story barrelling toward
its tragic ending. Kirby towers over Philips, which makes for a fascinating physical
contrast, and as the drama heightens, so does their passion and anger: the
characters ultimately trapped by decisions of their own making. I expect both
performers, usually so impressive, to find their feet during the season.
The
standout performer was Lucy Ansell as Emilia and Bianca. We were in safe hands
every time she was on stage, essaying both roles with a remarkable confidence.
Ansell has been a highlight of numerous indie productions over the last couple
of years and her impressive work continues here.
Gerstle’s
focus on physicality in her direction cements the violence of the piece and
focusing on jealousy as the motivation does give it contemporary resonances. Incels
and catfishing and the rise of white nationalism and the broken justice system
all embolden misogyny. No need to assign numerous drives to one man insanely
jealous of another.
Writer Margaret
Atwood was once asked why men and women are threatened by each other. “Men are
afraid women will laugh at them… women are afraid of being killed.” Iago doesn’t
require a complicated motivation to undermine Othello and Othello doesn’t need
to be pushed too far to – spoilers – kill his wife. The violence is already
inside both.
But
condensing the play down to this singular thing robs Othello of its
lyrical quality and the desperate lengths both men go to justify themselves. Even
though cutting out its objectional race politics is to be admired, there’s more
lost in this production’s attempts to avoid or overcome its troubled history.
- Keith Gow, Theatre First
Othello is playing at Fortyfive Downstairs until September 28
Photos: Nick Robertson
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