O most noble, brave and valiant Othello!

Explosively powerful this is a striking, unusual production prominently featuring water. Wonderful Sport by Jove under the inspired direction of Matt Edgerton bring us a gripping performance with a magnificent cast and show their usual excellent style of fluid scene transitions, a respect for the text , very energetic performances and a driving pace . Edgerton has the luxury of two strong, fantastic leads  in his Othello and Iago . It is a ‘timeless  ‘production with a hugely masculine sparse military feel , the military people such as Othello , Iago and Cassio wearing dark blue shirts a, black trousers with a stripe and dashing white ‘ dress ‘jackets with medals where appropriate.

The set itself is dominated by sandbags (used to control the flow of water) and blends various elements of military camp, dockside and bathhouse. Desdemona’s bedroom is prettified by the addition of four candles (which Othello symbolically blows out during his ‘it is the cause’ monologue). The water – from a tap opened by Damien Ryan’s Iago and gradually covering the marvellous tiled mosaic floor to become a shallow pool – is a major theme of this version and works on multi – layers of metaphor, meaning and sensation. The water is there for almost the entire play and the actors (and front rows of the audience) can get quite wet (and Desdemona’s long gowns almost ruined…). There is wonderful use of the lighting by Mat Cox and David Stalley who use the water reflection/dapples to great effect at various points.

In this production our attention is somewhat shifted from the usual perception of the play being about race hate and more focused on how Iago becomes the driving force and instigator of the tragedy with his evil machinations affecting the other more gullible characters. But Othello being regarded as an outsider and Desdemona’s daring everything to marry him are clearly shown, as are the power politics with the clever use of microphones.

Our Iago Damien Ryan is exceptional, a superb performance. (I would love to see him cast as Richard  111) .The seemingly ‘honest ‘ ( note how that word is repeatedly used about him ) Iago is in fact the opposite – a deadly schemer. As in Shakespeare’s Richard 111, his monologues are shown sympathetically and he mesmerizes and completely draws in the audience. The show opens with Iago being water tortured to reveal why he did what he did but to no avail. The big question is WHY Iago does hate ‘The Moor’ so much and Shakespeare never really gives us an answer although it is implied he is jealous and ambitious.

Ivan Donato as Othello is also brilliant, an excellent performance. We see the range of his emotions and his many ‘faces’ from a man in his prime in top form, a galvanising, proud, commanding general and new husband, to his hidden weaknesses – the epilepsy and the ‘green eyed monster’ of jealousy , succumbing to Iago’s  fiendish machinations.

Sweet, innocent, wronged Desdemona is tremendously played by Isaro Kayitesi .While seeming to be a lovely , fragile tropical flower she has steely determination and a mind of her own.

There is some doubling/tripling of some of the smaller roles and the Duke becomes a stunning Phryne Fisher like exotic Duchess in red. Poor young very handsome Cassio was well  played by Scott Sheridan. Emilia , Iago’s unsuspecting wife and Desdemona’s supportive companion ,was strongly played by  Julia Ohannessian who gave a terrific performance .

Oh! The fuss over that handkerchief that Desdemona loses! In this version Iago’s devilish machinations (unwittingly put in train by Emilia) are clearly presented . The handkerchief becomes a repeated visual motif used at times throughout the play .

A thrilling production. Go see.

OTHELLO is playing the Reginald Theatre, the Seymour Centre until Saturday 29 June, 2013. Running time is 3 hours and 15 minutes without interval.