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:

Michael Coveney - 29 June 2010

The centrepiece of the 51st Ludlow Festival is Ben Crocker’s revival of Shakespeare’s tautest tragedy, not best suited to the outdoor arena, perhaps, but grippingly arranged against the atmospheric castle walls with long walkways and, in Philip Witcomb’s design, a large golden frame and a chaotic installation of suspended bed frames.

I’m one of the lucky unfortunates who saw Olivier’s Othello, and no one since has come close, not even Scofield or Willard White or Chiwetel Ejiofor. Christopher Obi is an attractive, bemused general, handsome and imposing, but the point about Othello is that he goes crazy with language as well as jealousy; Obi surfs tentatively on the brink but never plunges in or takes off. And his voice is too small.

The engine of the play, as it should be, is Iago, and Michael Mueller is as good as any in recent memory, including Ewan McGregor. He’s dyed-in-the-wool nasty without being hysterical about it, and he snaps out the prose and verse – t...

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Latest User Review

Jade Hamilton - 20 August 2010:

I would like to know what play the two commentators above went to see. Christopher Obi's performance was very detailed and conveyed much emotion as picked up by the Daily Telegraph. It is so easy to sit on ones behind and pass crude judgement but if they understood the emotion challenge of the play they would salute Christopher Obi for such an original, truthful performance....

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