Otieno

Synopsis

In Zimbabwe in 2008, the impending elections bring hope to a country left raw by oppression. Otieno, a militia leader protecting a white farm under siege by Mugabe's war veterans, has secretly married Diana, the white farmer's daughter. The war veterans draw closer to the farm and the mounting pressure begins to take its toll on the inhabitants: tempers fray, personalities crack and Otieno begins to doubt Diana’s fidelity. Ian, Otieno’s trusted aide, appears to be the only person he can rely on in the middle of this chaos, but it is this reliance that is the downfall for the whole farm. Trevor Michael Georges’ contemporary rewriting of Shakespeare's Othello is set against the continuing deprivation of present-day Zimbabwe. This visceral play brings a brutal beauty to the well-known tragedy of violence and betrayal.

Our Review:

28 May 2010

Metta Theatre return to Southwark Playhouse with Trevor Michael George’s re-working of Shakespeare’s Othello. A contemporary take on a well known tale of racism, jealousy and love, Otieno is set in Zimbabwe in 2008; an election looms and with it come raiding war veterans and a fragile hope for change.

The action takes place on a white farm which is being protected by militia led by the well-respected Otieno. As in Othello, a secret wedding has taken place between an older war-hardened black man and a younger innocent white woman but in this case that white woman, rather than being a Senator’s daughter, is a white farmer’s daughter and her name is Diana.

With the external pressures mounting, relationships on the farm begin to fray and Otieno begins to doubt Diana’s fidelity. As these doubts take root he turns to his right-hand man Ian for help, not realising that it is Ian who planted these doubts in the first place and that he will do everything i...

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Latest User Review

Yorkie - 12 June 2010:

Intense and perfectly crafted. Bravo! ...

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