Othello
William Shakespeare
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| The Cast of Othello |
What makes this Othello
particularly startling is that Iago could be any one of a hundred people
most of us in the audience knows. On the
outside and at first meeting, he is nice-looking, courteous, and jocular – the
kind guy who grew up next door to the most of us in the audience, who are also
Caucasian. After all, everyone – and of
course especially his superior officer, Othello -- refers to Iago as “honest,”
“good,” a man of “trust.”
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| Danforth Comins & Chris Butler |
Danforth Comins sends chills down one’s spine the way his Iago so casually talks to us directly and assumes by his manners that we and he are of the same kilt. He openly shares his ideas-in-the-making and finally his diabolical plan to take down Othello, not hiding any motive or detail of how he will convince Othello that Desdemona is having an affair with Cassio (the lieutenant who was promoted over Iago). We can see that he thinks that naturally we too have the same dislike as he of this outsider Othello who invades ‘our’ country, marries one of ‘our’ daughters, and ingratiates himself to ‘our’ leader. The assumptions he makes with his tone and looks -- one almost expects him to wink at us to let us know he ‘knows’ we agree – rattles to the core and leads one to think of a certain president whose tweets and video clips make the same types of assumptions as he asserts criminals are infiltrating the U.S. from Mexico.
And though frequent mentions of the script’s Venice and its
language of the early seventeenth century permeate the story’s unveiling, the
ringing cells phones, TV screens of CNN and other broadcasts, and a modern-day
gym where all the protagonists work out together continue to reinforce that
this Othello is happening right now,
all around us.
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| Alejandra Escalante & Chris Butler |
But when he does transform, never has there surely been any
more violent outbursts by a physically scary Othello than the one on this stage. Chris Butler’s increasing bouts of rage and
fury are shattering to behold. At one
point, his mouth literally freezes as it emits its vicious screams; at other
points, his eyes almost pop out of his head each time Desdemona even mentions
the name of Cassio. His entire being
becomes so consumed with the jealous disease Iago has infected within him that
he shakes uncontrollably from head to toe; his voice shifts to that of a
monster; and any sign of logical, rational thinking totally leaves him. The performance is masterful even as watching
it is troubling to the core.
Surrounding these two who together march others towards a
destiny of undeserved destruction are two wives and a comrade: Desdemona,
Emilia, and Cassio. Desdemona (Alejandra
Escalante) -- while obviously dedicated to her new groom and heads-over-heals
in love with him -- also exudes a sense of independence, a headstrong nature,
and a proud self-confidence. She shows
no hesitation to be open about her close friendship with Cassio, and she is not
about to stop pestering in a loving and playful manner her husband to
reconsider a demotion he gives to Cassio (after a drunken brawl orchestrated by
Iago on the lightweight drinker, Cassio).
As Othello’s suspicions become more intense and his anger begins to take
over, Ms. Escalante’s performance proportionately intensifies in multiple
dimensions to a climatic, disturbing demise that is gut-wrenching to behold.
As Iago’s wife, Emilia (also a member of the Navy troop),
Amy Kim Waschke is initially funny and a bit irreverent, and she is most
certainly hugely naïve as she agrees to steal Desdemona’s handkerchief (a gift
from Othello) in order to please her husband.
When the true nature of her husband and his motives becomes known to
her, the rage against him and Othello and the despair for Desdemona add up to encompass
a major, accomplished performance for Ms. Waschke as she stands among this
stage full of stellar actors.
As Cassio, Derek Garza is convincing as a nice guy any one
would immediately like. That he is duped
by Iago is easy to believe because he is so good-natured (and like Emilia,
quite naïve of Iago’s true nature).
Contrasting in every way to him is Stephen Michael Spencer as a
emotionally wild, completely impulsive Roderigo, a friend of Iago’s who
believes Desdemona should be his wife and who becomes a puppet to Iago’s
schemes, believing he can still win her hand once Othello is out of the
picture.
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| Derek Garza & Rainbow Dickerson |
In addition to insightful, inventive direction and
captivating, spellbounding acting is a creative team that to a person ensures
that this Othello is one that will
long be remembered. Christopher Acebo’s
scenic design features a strong, stone wall that shows its age in missing and
crumbling blocks, connecting us to the antiquity of a old story now made modern
and of a land, Cyprus, where history partly began. That wall is also symbolic of the
relationships that are falling apart, though once believed strong. His designs make use of projections by Tom
Ontiverus where the clouds and skies of a seashore fly by and where smoke and
fog often cover the entire setting as the lies and deceits pile up on the
stage. Sound designer Andre J. Pluess
and lighting designer Xavier Pierce create realities of approaching
automobiles, rain storms, and an island’s nearby shoreline while Fight Director
U. Jonathan Toppo has instructed this set of actors how to inflict bodily harms
in manners so real as to make audience members look away. The costumes of Dede M. Ayite never let us
forget we are witnessing the acts of modern U.S. naval personnel (no matter all
the references to Venice) while also establishing the privileged life of
Desdemona or the raw, erotic life of Bianca.
No matter how many times one has seen Othello or if one has never seen the play, the current Othello as directed by Bill Rauch at
this year’s Oregon Shakespeare Festival is a production guaranteed to be
remembered for many years to come and also guaranteed to generate conversation
at the next night’s dinner table.
Rating: 5 E
Othello continues
through October 28, 2018 in
the Angus Bowmer Theatre at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. Tickets are
available at https://www.osfashland.org/on-stage.
Photos
by Jenny Graham
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