Spit flying and sweat streaming – all that is typical and necessary of any Shakespeare play. But in every other respect, Frantic Assembly’s production of Othello was anything but typical. This physical theatre adaptation brought a 17th century classic into a shady modern-day bar. The set was comprised of a pool table, a flashing arcade machine, and a red leather L-shaped couch. It might have been the lady sitting to my left, but I choose to believe that it was sheer theatrical placebo effect that caused the smell of cologne and alcohol to come wafting towards me.
The title character, played by Michael Akinsulire, was charming, handsome, and moved with ease and fluidity around the stage, commanding attention wherever he went. With his voice breaking, eyes darting, biting his lip, he delivered some very poignant moments of vulnerability where his whole body seemed to succumb to the weight of the dialogue. His descent into madness towards the play’s close captured the toxicity and shame as they intersected. He is jealous, homicidal, a total red flag – but somehow an embarrassing one too. Although partly the fault of the play itself, Othello’s characterisation was the least developed of the major characters. In instances where I wanted him to push the insanity to its extreme, I felt he hid behind his baseball bat prop.
The cast came together very cohesively as a whole, however, and there was a brilliant variety of well-developed characters. Roderigo was played by Felipe Pacheco as childish and squirmy, nervously tugging at his crotch, and defending himself with a beer bottle a convenient 5 metres away from each fight. Cassio was also great – there is something surprisingly refreshing about Shakespearean language when it is slurred and Scouse. Joe Layton’s Iago switched seamlessly between innocence and evil and was equally convincing in both modes. The costuming hugely impacted characterisation. All were dressed in tracksuits with the exception of Brabantio who sported suspiciously tight skinny jeans and loafers, as a father in this production might…
The only character who I could not bring myself to appreciate was Desdemona, played by Chanel Waddock. She shouted, or rather screamed her lines instead of projecting them. She was presented as more of a feminist character in this play as opposed to how she is in the original text; she doesn’t try to defend Othello in the end, so I really wanted to like her, but the squealing was so disappointing and took away from dialogue that should have been much more poignant. Her physicality, though, was excellent. The sex scene that took place on the pool table, with the lovers drowned in purple light, was beautifully choreographed. The two touched hands, moved back-to-back in unison, leaned intimately into one another in a way that was much more sensual and erotic than any naturalistic portrayal of sex. Best of all – it wasn’t actually explicitly sex, and therefore captured the ambiguity of Othello and Desdemona’s sexual relationship. Desdemona’s death scene was similar in effect. Othello strangles her while she is above him and the spotlight is above her, almost fully obscuring him from view. Then she flops lifelessly into his hands, at once elevated and limp.
Of course, physical theatre is central to Frantic Assembly’s style, but the level of innovation and thoughtfulness that went into the choreography was still a welcomed surprise. The fight scenes were simultaneously dancey and animalistic, the lifts were impressive, and the sheer amount of energy required was a performance in itself. There is a lovely moment where the wall ripples around the actors to convey their drunkenness, and the set becomes a part of the dynamism. For the majority of the play, the set remains simple. All we see of the toilet is a red door with ‘LADIES’ written on the front. But then towards the end, it swivels around to reveal a hyper-realistic public bathroom interior, complete with grimy wall tiles, a dirty sink, and uncomfortably bright lights. Now, if the set were being judged based on realism, the loo would score full marks. But I found the sudden jump from abstract to lifelike difficult to justify. I felt it showed up the rest of the set, which had done its job up until this point.
The music of choice was a techno club beat, which was effective, but in the most primal way. It affected me in the same way that any music would if it was blasted through speakers at 200% volume, and it didn’t add much in terms of creativity. The lighting was nicely done, though. There were several moments where the lights came on from one side, casting a flickering shadow over the actors’ faces, as well as making their actual shadows visible against the backdrop.
For a professional production, it wasn’t perfect. As a picky reviewer, I did have some qualms. But, on the whole, I thoroughly enjoyed this adaptation. The cast drove the story forward with their enthusiasm and their ability to work through the choreography in physical harmony. The characterisation was thoughtful and deliberate. Each actor brought remarkable vitality to their role. Despite the creative choices that I didn’t fully agree with, I would still highly recommend this play for anyone that might have the opportunity to watch it, “if thou hast eyes to see”…