Peter Viney's Blog

By William Shakespeare
Directed by Tim Carroll
Set and costume by Judith Bowen

Royal Shakespeare Company
Royal Shakespeare Theatre
Stratford-upon-Avon
Wednesday 30th October 2024. 19.15

CAST
John Douglas Thompson – Othello
Juliet Rylance – Desdemona
Will Keen – Iago
Anastasia Hille- Emilia
Edward Hogg – Cassio
Colin Hurley- Brabantio
Madeleine Hyland – Bianca
Jonathan Oliver- Gratiano
Jethro Skinner- Rodrigo
John Paul Connolly- Duke of Venice
Al Barclay- Lodovico
Scott Brooksbank – Montano
Ricardo Castro – Messenger
Jason Eddy- Sailor
Kevin J Golding- clown
Graham Mackay-Bruce- Senator
Johnan Munir- Officer
Finlay Paul- ensemble
Andrew Price – senator
Claire Redcliffe – ensemble

Three of them, Thompson, Juliet Rylance and Edward Hogg all played the roles in New York fifteen years ago.

Tim Carroll directed the authentic practices Globe productions of Richard III and Twelfth Night in 2012. My first thought is old fashioned acting, in an early Globe style but with the very anti-Globe addition of state of the art lighting. There were elaborate costumes throughout. The Venetian-styled Brabantio, Duke and Senators costumes stood out.

The width of the stage is used, the primary style is declaiming forward. Right at the beginning, outside Brabantio’s house, they speak straight forward as if Brabantio is at the back of the auditorium, but in fact Brabantio is up on high behind them also speaking directly forward. There is a lot of declaiming straight forward, or widely separated from other actors, rather than interaction. It is a strong style choice. A lot of speeches are delivered with actors rooted to the spot, lit and not looking at other actors.

One review liked that and was disappointed when it inevitably fell down when some interaction was required in the second half. Not surprisingly, the production phots don’t bring that out. The photographer chose the few more interactive shots.

Will Keen as Iago. Juliet Rylance as Desdemona

The acting is powerful all round. Juliet Rylance has an incredible singing voice. Musically, there is excellent unaccompanied chant. As in every production, Iago is the star role, Will Keen here. However good Othello is, and John Douglas Thompson is very good indeed in a conventional way, Iago remains the best part. I liked the quirky way he found the lines, but then my companion disliked it intensely.

It’s minimalist. It’s as if the director is afraid of directing any action or interaction. The carousing scene where Cassio is made to get drunk and into a fight is a murky flutter behind hanging wires at the inner rear stage. No drinking is seen. Basically it’s all report. This is usually a major production scene.

Then Desdemona is strangled with lights out in total darkness. Dead people just stand still.

There is no furniture or props (apart from swords) whatsoever. Not a chair, not a bed, not a pot (to piss in) not a cup. I said it was directorial fear of having any action, Karen said, no, they were consciously avoiding portraying any hint of violence whatsoever. Or sex. Or drinking. That is spelled w-o-k-e.

The duel between Roderigo and Cassio has them on opposite sides of the stage, both facing front, miming being stabbed. So back to the duel, stylised, old-fashioned mimed, yet Shakespeare’s audience are said to have relished the vigorous sword fights which were elaborate. In my day, men were encouraged to learn fencing on drama courses.

There is very, very little leavening of humour. Colin Hurley’s Brabantio is an exception. Will Keen’s Iago does get some laughs from the strength of his villainy, which he points well to the audience.

Roderigo (Jethro Skinner) was good, but he has been played for more humour in other poductions. I liked the way Edward Hogg’s Cassio pointed in voice and stance that he was upper middle class compared to Iago.

The only physical theatrical business in my terms was when the Emilia and the silent female servant undressed Desdemona for bed, not that there was a bed. This was very good, at last something to watch while the actors were speaking. I’d mistakenly guessed they were undressing her down to an easily laundered shift in preparation for stage blood. Wrong. There would be none. Murder in the dark.

It’s praised for its focus on text and delivery by each actor. True, but it will appeal most to those who’d like to hear their Shakespeare on radio (wireless?) or LP or read aloud. Those for whom the words are the all.

There was an outstanding brief bit of physical interaction between Othello and Iago, but it stood out as an exception. The strong and stylised minimal style made me realise how production oriented rather than text oriented I am in these reviews. I was admiring the Shakespearean costumes and lighting, but the acting style, and Will Keen was completely brilliant, is not one I go for at all. We reckoned Karen’s 1960s drama teacher would have loved it.

Overall, I really didn’t like the production or direction. I didn’t read the programme essays until afterwards and liked it even less. Othello was a forced convert to Christianity (the play never says he was forced), Othello had been enslaved (so his violence was the Europeans fault, I suppose, though the Moors were great slave takers too), Othello was a ‘tragic hero.’ Quote: He remains the play’s undoubted hero. Othello was a Venetian war hero indeed. But is he the hero of the play, or the other villain? Perhaps ‘central character’ is better.

I thought by eschewing any overt onstage violence, they were totally missing the point of the play. It is about the extreme violence of the thwarted, jealous male towards women. Watch the TV news for a week. There will inevitably be a woman and her children murdered somewhere. The police initial report will be ‘the perpetrator was known to them.‘ A thwarted ex-partner. Sometimes it’s an honour killing within a culture. Or as I prefer, murder. Yes, Iago provokes Othello, but a normal male would not be driven to murder. Othello’s violence is innate. He is a military general. Sanitize the violence and you undermine the play. The tragedy is not the descent of Othello into mad rage. That’s who he is. It’s the murder of Desdemona.

Not my thing. I wondered why they needed such a large cast. There is a bold concept, and it’s followed consistently, and the RSC should be able to try different styles. I admit the acting quality forces a three star review. Only just.
***

WHAT THE CRITICS SAID
Unusually consistent. The threes are right. But so are the twos.

Four star
Dominic Maxwell, Sunday Times ****

I almost never agree with him.
three star
Susannah Clapp, The Observer ***
David Jays, The Guardian ***
Fiona Mountford, The Telegraph ***
Sarah, Theatre & Tonic ***
Raphael Kohn, All That Dazzles ***
Sarah Probert, Birmingham Live ***

two and a half stars
Katy Roberts, The Reviews Hub ** 1/2

two star
Michael Davies, What’s On Stage **

LINKS ON THIS BLOG

OTHELLO
Othello – NT 2013
Othello – RSC 2015
Othello – Wanamaker Playhouse, 2017
Othello – Globe 2018
Othello, ETT – 2018
Othello, Watermill, 2022
Othello, RSC 2024

TIM CARROLL (Director)
Richard III, Globe & Apollo 2012
Twelfth Night, Globe & Apollo 2012

WILL KEEN
Eyam, Globe 2018
The Winter’s Tale, Globe 2018
Quartermaine’s Terms, Brighton 2013
Hysteria, by Terry Johnson,  Bath 2012
Operation Mincemeat (film)

COLIN HURLEY
As You Like It, Globe 2018
Farinelli & The King, Wanamaker Playhouse 2015

JOHN PAUL CONNOLLY
Eyam, Globe 2018

JONATHAN OLIVER
The Spire, Salisbury 2012