Othello

Synopsis

Othello, a Moor, falls in love with Desdemona but is broken by jealousy falsely encouraged. Shakespeare's most human play sets delicacy and power, trust and jealousy, love and hate, good and evil in stark and tragic opposition. Powerless in the face of their own self destructive instincts, the characters are caught on a downward spiral towards inevitable tragedy.

Our Review:

Daniel Meyers - 21 September 2011

Just two years after Yorkshire last witnessed a star turn as Othello, the Crucible has arguably trumped Northern Broadsides' casting of Lenny Henry as the Moor - pulling off the coup of landing both Clarke Peters and Dominic West from hit American TV show The Wire. Everything about this production of Shakespeare's tragedy places the focus firmly with the on stage talent.

Morgan Large's lean and uncluttered set allows huge space for the cast to work and the exquisite costumes only serve to further illuminate the actors wearing them.

Peters lacks the sheer physical presence that Henry brought to the role. His casual strut and mellifluous African tones don't instantly convey the image of one of the most fearsome and respected Generals in the Venetian Army but what he does bring is an emotional depth. His portrayal of an ageing man, undone by the insecurity that comes with being at the wrong end of a May-December marriage, is superbly handled. His des...

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Latest User Review

Sean - 13 October 2011:

How is Cassio "doomed", What'sOnStage? His destiny in the play is to get a sore leg and become governor of Cyprus - in the context of the play, his doomed rating is pretty low! Dom walked the line between evil bitterness and near-lovable scally perfectly. His Yorkshire accent washed over the dialogue with such finesse highlighting every word as a polished. Any charge that a Yorkshire accent is "out of context" is ridiculous when you remember that these Venetians are speaking 17th century English! Realism is a non-starter with Shakespeare.. all we can hope for is an actor who takes risks and finds a way to engage the audience - take a bow, Dom West. Peters did a fair job though some of his dialogue got lost. The girls were great. And an underrated comic turn by the bloke who played Rodrigue....

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