Blackout. Two electric torches move through the darkness from the back of the auditorium, held by two figures in red overalls. They talk of Othello and call out to Brabantio. It is hard to know who these two are, as they do not use each other's names. In identical red overalls, Othello (Jordan Watson) and Desdemona (Shannen Wadsworth) appear on stage. Each character delivers lines at a tremendous pace - it becomes garbled and difficult to follow. Desdemona speaks more slowly, clearly and with more confidence. Iago (Adam Spicer) rants in part soliloquy, part directly, a street-wise weasel tending towards caricature. His words, too, tumble out and are sometimes lost. Action moves on against a simply-lit black curtain.

The original full-length play Othello (1603) by William Shakespeare (1564-1616) centres round the secret marriage of Othello and Desdemona, with political, military, romantic and sexual jealousy and intrigues between a dozen or so characters - Lodovico (Carriane Baillie), Emilia (Nicola Erne), Montano (Charlotte French), Bianca (Shaunna Hughes), Brabantio (Asley Race), Duke of Venice (James Saxton), Iago (Adam Spicer), Roderigo (Ben Stanley), Cassio (Joe Watson), Othello (Jordan Watson), Desdemona (Shannen Wadsworth), and others - and with racial overtones (in William Shakespeare's original, Othello is black, the rest are white). There's also murder. It's set around Venice and Cyprus, with the Turkish fleet offshore (plot summary http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Othello). Some reactions of the characters in this version are snatched and unnatural - such as their response to a line 'The Turks are drowned'.

Blackout. The cast all wave torches to grime music - there is no apparent reason for this; later it is repeated. At the end of the play, the torches are put out one at a time after all the deaths and tragedy. This is effective but not convincingly connected with the earlier waving sequences. Iago gets Cassio (Joe Watson) drunk and Cassio acts comically drunk. This spoils the atmosphere of menace and impending tragedy - it is simply not believable.

Much else is not believable. The main problem is establishing the characters beyond the lines they say. They are too simplistic and do not have the time to develop into anything more. Othello becomes jealous so quickly that it is difficult to believe that he and Desdemona have fallen in love, got secretly married or even shared a bed. Emilia (Nicola Erne) is empty-headed then very, very sorry. Iago is angry and cunning but gives no sense of what he was like before he became so vindictive. Portrayed as a street gang in matching red overalls the characters do not convince. The heart of the story has gone. It is told accurately but foreshortened, with any real passion removed. Unintended comedy ensues when Desdemona squeaks herself to death at Othello's hands.

Tonight is the first night. If the lines were less garbled, it would make more sense. It is a brave attempt to transfer Shakespeare's plot to a different time and space. With 45 minutes of times as the essence, the risk was evidently taken that in a shortened form, the story of Othello would still work for those who do not know the original full-length play. Unfortunately, this short, swift Shakespeare is a risk too far.

Cast Credits: (alpha order): Carriane Baillie - Lodovico. Nicola Erne - Emilia. Charlotte French - Montano. Shaunna Hughes - Bianca. Asley Race - Brabantio. James Saxton - Duke. Adam Spicer - Iago. Ben Stanley - Roderigo. Joe Watson - Cassio. Jordan Watson - Othello. Shannen Wadsworth - Desdemona.

Company Credits: Writer (of Othello, the Moor of Venice (1603)) - William Shakespeare (1564-1616). Writer (of this adaptation) - uncredited. Director - uncredited. Lighting Designer - uncredited. Sound Designer - uncredited. Technical Operators - Catherine Lomax, Stephen Sapsed, Manne Woolf. Producer - uncredited. Company - Gordon Craig Youth Theatre.

END

(c) Peter Andrews 2009

reviewed Monday 10 August 09 / The Vault, Edinburgh UK

Fringe Report (c) Fringe Report 2002-2012

www.fringereport.com