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:

18 July 2011

There’s something a little special about seeing a Shakespearean classic amidst the ruins of the Rose Theatre. Well, above them, anyway. To know the words, the characters, lived on stage on this spot hundreds of years before you yourself are hearing them... is somewhat magical.

Custom/Practice’s Othello reaps the advantage of its setting this way, with atmosphere added by sheer virtue of the site of performance. But, boy, is it darn cold in there. And take a pillow too, if you’re not a fan of sitting on solid wood for 90 minutes straight, because there are times in this production when your attention is going to wander, and it’s then that you wish you were sat a little more comfortably.

This particular abridged version of the tragedy has flashes of excellence but is marred by an overall plot device: Iago as a prospero-esque manipulator. Yes, Iago’s manipulation is a sight to behold in the original text, but here he is m...

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Latest User Review

victoria - 18 July 2011:

Thankyou for such a wonderful and memorable evening.My friends and I thoroughly enjoyed the performance, the set-up and informal atmosphere. We were amazed at how they were able to perform within such a confined space. We often go to the theatre in the westend, but this was a memorable unique experience that we will talk about for a long time. My friend has seen othello before in the westend, but enjoyed this production far more and felt the acting was better too. It far exceeded our expectations, and we can't wait for our next visit. ...

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