Jul. 05, 2011 - Issue #820: Bestest of Edmonton

Revue

Othello

Emotional unravelling

To analyze a Shakespearean tragedy, it's impossible to avoid discussing the main character's "fatal flaw." In the case of Othello, one of this year's selections at the Freewill Shakespeare Festival, jealousy may be the first ingredient in the story's undoing, but Othello himself is a complicated character: perhaps his tendency to love too passionately or trust too willingly is his real fault. But like the rest of the Bard's dark tales, the inevitable death, destruction, and downfall is also waiting for the audience in all its theatrical glory.

The production's first half revolves mainly around the token bad guy Iago, as he builds a distorted web of manipulation, pursuing his own ends as he poisons Othello's mind against both his wife Desdemona and the young lieutenant Cassio. John Ullyatt's portrayal of the twisted villain is appropriately conniving and sinister, but also manages a certain eloquence and subtle comedic edge that saves the role from slipping into caricature. Out of all the tragedy's characters, Iago is given the most room to connect with the audience, frequently left alone on stage to share his inner, vengeful intentions with the spectators alone. Ullyatt uses this unsettling connection to his advantage, frequently shooting the audience secret, knowing looks of merciless glee as if they, too, are in on his self-serving scheme.

As the pieces of Iago's plot fall into place, the rest of the characters begin to crumble within it. While the play is at first all subtle maneuvering and mental manipulation, the second half is an uncontrollable emotional unraveling. And where Iago may have dominated the stage before, the rest of the characters now have their own space to react. Belinda Cornish gives a particularly haunting performance as Othello's doomed wife Desdemona, the essence of pure innocence in the wake of the destruction around her. Cornish balances her character's conflicting feelings of terror and dutiful resolve to create some of the play's most striking moments, with Annette Loiselle as her attendant Emilia rising to provide an appropriate emotional weight to the final scenes.

As with most Shakespearean tragedies, the drama of Othello has the potential to be emotionally overwhelming. But this cast knows how to handle the plot without becoming over the top, leaving space for moments of unsettling darkness when necessary, but still offering clear moments of personable connection. Despite the possibility of becoming overly complicated, this rendering of Othello strikes the right balance between theatrical maturity and accessibility for the intimidating undertaking that is Shakespeare.
 

Until Sun, Jul 24 (even dates, 8 pm)
Directed by Marianne Copithorne
Heritage Amphitheatre (Hawrelak Park), $16.75 – $24.50 (festival passes $37) vueweekly.com comments: powered by Disqus