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Last night I went to the Swan Stage production of Othello at the Regent Theatre in Arlington. I hadn't seen (nor read) Othello before the show.
It was my first time at the theater. As many noted, there is something strange about being able to buy popcorn (and other movie-type snacks) to have while watching a Shakespeare play. The theater is a big rectangle, the reasonably deep stage in front. There was some kind of balcony, with a really noisy air conditioner vent by the edge of it that drove me from my original seat to somewhere less noisy, so I could focus on the play.
The set was minimal. Still, I was unimpressed: I've seen low-budget shows use what they have a bit more effectively, and make it look a little less obvious about how little was put into the sets. The costuming was pleasant, mostly period-ish. The lighting and sound were pretty pedestrian.
The acting was mixed. Extremely mixed. I was impressed with Othello, and Desdemona, while Iago was not quite evil enough, really. Some of the smaller parts were well done (Brabantio, Bianca, et al), while others were more annoying than anything else (Montano, who really really really looked like Gene Wilder to me).
As for the play itself, I found it interesting that Othello, constantly reminded of his outsiderness, is treated with honor and respect throughout, unlike the contempt and humiliation offered Shylock. I think this is the first time I've seen an outsider treated so well in a Shakespeare play. It all turns on Othello's misjudgement of people; it seems a bit odd that he'd have risen to such a level without being a bit better judge of men, really. I found that this play felt a bit different from other tragedies, with Iago having so many monologues working out his nefarious plans. In other plays, there has been no need to resort to those, there either being conferates in on the plot, or showing what the plot was as it unfolds, without all the oratory. I wonder why this was written so. I wonder also whether Iago's many tiers of plans felt like enough intrigue to the playwright, so included little by way of subplots.
It was my first time at the theater. As many noted, there is something strange about being able to buy popcorn (and other movie-type snacks) to have while watching a Shakespeare play. The theater is a big rectangle, the reasonably deep stage in front. There was some kind of balcony, with a really noisy air conditioner vent by the edge of it that drove me from my original seat to somewhere less noisy, so I could focus on the play.
The set was minimal. Still, I was unimpressed: I've seen low-budget shows use what they have a bit more effectively, and make it look a little less obvious about how little was put into the sets. The costuming was pleasant, mostly period-ish. The lighting and sound were pretty pedestrian.
The acting was mixed. Extremely mixed. I was impressed with Othello, and Desdemona, while Iago was not quite evil enough, really. Some of the smaller parts were well done (Brabantio, Bianca, et al), while others were more annoying than anything else (Montano, who really really really looked like Gene Wilder to me).
As for the play itself, I found it interesting that Othello, constantly reminded of his outsiderness, is treated with honor and respect throughout, unlike the contempt and humiliation offered Shylock. I think this is the first time I've seen an outsider treated so well in a Shakespeare play. It all turns on Othello's misjudgement of people; it seems a bit odd that he'd have risen to such a level without being a bit better judge of men, really. I found that this play felt a bit different from other tragedies, with Iago having so many monologues working out his nefarious plans. In other plays, there has been no need to resort to those, there either being conferates in on the plot, or showing what the plot was as it unfolds, without all the oratory. I wonder why this was written so. I wonder also whether Iago's many tiers of plans felt like enough intrigue to the playwright, so included little by way of subplots.