Othello, Chapter

January 22, 2016 by

Rogue’z Theatre Company’s aim, in their own words, is to ‘produc[e] classic plays that are rarely performed’; an admirable and worthwhile mission to say the least. The classic they are currently taking on at the Chapter Arts Centre, Cardiff, is Shakespeare’s tragic Othello.  It is a very simple but effective tale of manipulation and revenge with an underbelly of hatred and deceit.

While I would say it is far from the bard’s best work, it still has the potential to make your heart pound and skin crawl in its more dramatic scenes if carried out effectively by any company who should take it on.

Rogue’z Theatre Company should, first and foremost, be congratulated for dealing with Shakespeare’s language with clarity and energy throughout: you are given no choice but to listen. The cast never waver in their physical and vocal alertness throughout this two and a half hour (and maybe a bit more) production.

Led by the very strong Andreas Constantinou in the title role the main players impress, for the most part, and provide some real moments of dramatic tension – despite some questionable interpretations, although this feels like more of a direction issue.

Dan Burrows as Iago commands a presence onstage that is hard to take your eyes off. However, for me the interpretation of Iago as more of a trickster character than someone so filled with hate, didn’t sit in well with the rest of the text: it seemed Othello was an annoyance to him but not someone he would orchestrate murder over.

Charlotte Rees, as Desdemona, handles the language quite beautifully and her performance is enamoring. However, again, the reading of the character seems to jar with the rest of the text. Desdemona should be strong and confident from start to finish and this should shine through especially in her most painful moments. She is innocent of any wrongdoing and she damn well knows it: she should never be subservient.

There were other choices that lead me to think these interpretations are part and parcel of the director, Geraldine Watson’s overall vision of the play.  For example, the disembodied voice that seemed to whisper random words from the play at equally random times; again not fitting quite in with the other production choices and the loud and fast approach to the language in the first act which seems synonymous with Michael Boyd’s style of directing Shakespeare during his time as artistic director of RSC.

I feel as though there is something more needed to tie all these decisions together but it didn’t come.

The second half feels better in regards to pace allowing for the drama to build organically. In general this production comes into it’s own after the interval and makes the journey out into a cold January evening worth it. There are beautiful and heart breaking scenes between Desdemona and Emilia (Rebecca Price). Constantinou shines as Othello’s torment crescendos and then climaxes. Apart from a few messy crowd scenes, in terms of staging, the second half is engaging and exciting.

It is difficult to avoid trying to make Shakespeare ‘Shakespearean’: broad shoulders and strong embraces. However, if this cultural habit can be sidestepped Othello could be as murky, seedy, and dark as the text implies.

Rogue’z Theatre have done some lovely work here albeit, with some questionable choices.

 

 

Presented by Rogue’z Theatre

Chapter Until Jan 23

 

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