Othello
By William Shakespeare
Quasimodo
Bondi Pavilion, Sydney
until May 14
Review by Brendan Doyle
There are productions that stay with you long after you have left the theatre. This version of Shakespeare's classic tale of jealousy is one of them.
Having admired David Ritchie's Hamlet at the New Theatre, I was looking forward to this Othello, co-directed with Damien Ryan, and was not disappointed. This is an intelligent reading of the play, brought to life on stage with dramatic power, vigour, humour and charm.
Othello is a challenge for any troupe. In this ancient tale of the black general who is fooled into thinking he has been cuckolded, there is a great risk of falling into melodrama. But the Quasimodo company manages to strike the right balance between the necessary credibility and the equally vital lyricism and theatricality, without which Shakespeare can seem tedious.
Set in a vaguely 1950s kingdom, the production opens with Iago, Othello's scheming, ruthless adviser, cavorting under the sheets with the Harlot. It's not in the original, but it certainly caught the audience's attention. From then on, the production didn't miss a beat as we followed the twists and turns of Iago's vicious betrayal of Othello's trust.
I haven't seen the difficult Pavilion space used more effectively. Tom Bannerman's set design with its slatted screens suggests a dangerous world in which intimate secrets are overheard and used to harm others.
The full width of the space is nicely exploited, for instance when a door is thrown open to reveal the ocean, a thunder machine and a bucket of water creating a storm at sea. In other scenes, gunshots ring out from above the audience, or actors run along behind us, evoking betrayal and insecurity.
This atmosphere of danger and menace is summoned up also by Tony Youlden's subtle lighting design with its use of shadow, candles and moonlight, and floor-level lighting that makes Iago all the more sinister.
The acting is uniformly impressive, with a strong ensemble feeling. Darren Ally as Othello is a consistently imposing presence, with a voice to match, although I didn't catch every word in some places. Michael Pentecost's Iago is a villain you love to hate, and almost admire for his cunning.
Pentecost artfully masters the full gamut of the role, not neglecting humour, his wiry, wily movements a perfect foil to the more ponderous Othello. Bernadette Millar as Desdemona captures the vulnerability of innocence more than the sensuality of the woman.
John McCrudden brings comedy to the role of Roderigo, and the rest of the cast bring intense focus to the main action.
Why do Othello in these cynical, jaundiced times? Shakespeare's play is not only about jealousy. It's about manipulation and sexual politics in a world where, in the director's words, "Men approach women with an uneasy mix of antagonism and adoration", where "Under the surface of male camaraderie, male society is characterised by deceit, envy and hatred". In this context, irrational and corrosive passions like jealousy can easily be abused by a ruthless operator like Iago, himself driven by envy and hatred. Sound like party politics?
This outstanding production has received scant attention from the mainstream press, which seem determined to starve the smaller companies of vital publicity, irrespective of the quality of performance. You will go far to see an Othello that is theatrically more satisfying than this one.