Othello was written during a time when England was on the cusp of a shift from Elizabethan England to Jacobean England. This shift left the nation in a state of uncertainty, apprehension, and quite importantly: transition. This new Jacobean England discovered that perceived values were no longer absolute; they were relative and “in flux”. Perhaps you are wondering why one would choose to bore their readership with seemingly dreary and superfluous information. Two things are happening here and Morley shall break them down for you.
- This is called an introduction. Its purpose is to set the tone.
- Once the aforementioned tone has been set, the author will state his/her purpose. That is called a thesis.
Now that you understand I shall continue.
Director Luther Hanson opted for a theme for his current production. This theme (though loosely achieved and dismally thought out) was to change the setting of Othello from the original historical time period of the early 1600’s (when England was exposed to societal changes, and an unfamiliar race) to 1920’s New Orleans…where there was no such shift. One would hope this is perhaps a solitary mistake to mar the production; unfortunately for you (a fine member of the well-trained audience) that is not the case. No, this kind of mistake is not unlike a Christmas fruitcake or a rotten sexually transmitted disease, “it’s the gift that keeps on giving.” And give it does in a multitude of ways.
Watching this production left a feeling of longing…primarily a longing to injure the village of idiots parading around, but also a sense of longing for a director like Michelle Felten. This production of Othello could have utilized the benefit of Felten’s fine-tuned understanding of the theatre’s basic function. This is called telling a story.
Shakespeare’s Othello reflects a world once steeped in chivalry now learning the language of commerce and imperialism. Othello’s character speaks of a language of chivalry, while Iago of commerce. Again, we arrive back at the theme that nothing is quite as it seems in the midst of a societal shift, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera. Naturally one would find it confusing to see more than one Moorish character in Othello. In a play reflecting the previously mentioned themes, one would assume the strength of the piece is that Othello is not like the others. Oh but silly me, we are in 1920’s New Orleans and no longer concerned with those issues. Yes, Roderigo is a Moor, as is another cast member, who doesn’t portray the titular role. This leads audience members, who are not familiar with the play, astray. It is not this critic’s suggestion to invalidate non-traditional casting; it is this critic’s intention to make the argument that this great work is less likely to succeed in a setting that intends to focus on Othello’s striking differences, if other characters like him exist within the reality presented.
Roderigo, portrayed by Jason Oler, was not memorable. This was due mostly to the distracting notion that a Moor vehemently dislikes our hero, a fellow…Moor. Perhaps it is also due to Costume Designer Nicole Sivell‘s lack of distinction between Gregory Jolivette’s Othello and most of the other men in the cast. These strapping, young juveniles courageously gallivant around Shawn Weinsheink‘s raked triangle set, in what are clearly uniforms from the Civil War. Equally incongruous is Desdemona’s black dress because it did not exemplify Desdemona’s light nature in contrast to Othello’s dark nature.
Most notably, Jolivette’s Othello was more than exquisite. Jolivette has a command of Shakespeare’s language not seen in the festival since the lovely Katherine Pappa. Additionally, Jolivette exudes charm, with a wonderful presence. This quickly became detrimental for his leading lady, Desdemona, played by Kirsten Myers. She is lovely on sight, and a surprisingly sweet songbird. Had she made even one decision as to why Desdemona is onstage with Othello and beefed up her volume, she may have begun the climb to meet Jolivette.
Iago was portrayed by Rod Breton. There can be only one word to describe his performance: wrong. Breton has a strong voice and large enough presence; yet the notion that Iago is boisterous and friendly not only destroys a major theme within the foundation of Othello, but it is terribly uninteresting. Again one must remind the reader of Othello’s most prominent theme: things are not always what they seem. Moreover, this characterization can seem confusing for the audience. Bretons‘s Iago never made a distinction between the plotting and brooding side to counter-balance his boisterous persona. Furthermore, the audience should at the minimum sense that something is not right with Iago. That appeared to be overlooked by both Hanson and Breton.
Special mentions to the following performers: firstly to the jazz musician (Joe Gee) who was forced to honk out indistinguishable notes to accent pivotal (read: the director was confused) scenes. Also for astutely playing “A Day In the Life of a Fool” (1964) and “Blues In the Night” (1941) neither of which belong in the already established 1920’s theme. Lastly, there was a fine young lady as a maid, whose artistic genius may be unsurpassable. In the final scene, following the death of Desdemona, (which at this point has been shouted repeatedly in order to bring the entire festival populous into Othello’s bedroom) Emilia cries out, once again, of Desdemona’s death. This inspiring young lady reacts with shock and leaps off one platform to be by her body-which has been in plain sight for no less than four minutes. Congratulations to this young lady. Her shrewd acting choices are much to be envied.
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