What happens when you strip Shakespeare’s Othello down to just ninety minutes and five actors? Melbourne Shakespeare Company’s bold new staging at fortyfivedownstairs shows us, and the result is as unsettling as it is compelling.
A pretty significant adjustment like this naturally means that a lot of content from the original text is lost. Thankfully, through a very thoughtful reinterpretation from director Tanya Gerstle and contributions from a skilled cast and crew, much is also gained.
Right from the opening moments, the production’s intentions are made very clear as it opens with a wartime flashback. In this reinterpretation, a great focus is put on Othello’s role as a military general and the resulting trauma from fighting in a war.
By cutting lines from the original text in a clever fashion, a lot of the play is heavily recontextualised towards Othello’s actions being in part a consequence of this PTSD.
Notably, the white handkerchief becomes a token that Othello recovered from a civilian murdered during the war rather than a gift from his mother, making this crucial symbol within the play take on entirely new levels of meaning.
On the other hand, with the near-complete removal of the original text’s first act, a lot is lost in terms of establishing the relationship between Othello and Desdemona.
This reinterpretation also puts a lot of focus on Iago. This is particularly true in the first half of the production, where the audience spends a lot of time with him as he unveils his motives and schemes. It makes us, as an audience (at least early on), more sympathetic to Iago and his motives than we are to Othello and Desdemona.
The cast, as a whole, has a superb intertwining chemistry throughout. In the show’s lighter moments, there is a certain warmth that moves between the five of them. Here, it’s easy to believe that they are all comrades, friends, and lovers. When it all ends in tragedy, their pain and betrayal are that much more believable.
Christopher Kirby plays the titular role and delicately weaves between powerful gravitas and pained grief as he is slowly unravelled. That unravelling is of course done by Iago, portrayed by Dushan Phillips, who is delightfully devilish in the role. Kirby and Phillips are a great duo as they explore the bonds and betrayal between the two leading men.
Tanya Schneider turns in a strong performance as Desdemona. She gives a great deal of dimension to a character that can often feel very flat in the text.
Lucy Ansell portrays Iago’s wife Emilia and Cassio’s lover Bianca. She also occasionally appears as the unnamed civilian woman who haunts Othello’s memories of war. Ansell flips through each of these characters flawlessly and fully realises each role.
The same can be said for Matt Furlani, who plays Cassio and Montano. As Cassio, Furlani brings a much-needed degree of levity to the production. Despite being a fairly thin character, Montano is still given his own unique presence in the show.
The show is primarily staged on a series of concrete steps that are almost brutalist in nature, creating a very cold and uncaring backdrop to the action. At the rear of the set however, a translucent curtain wraps around a walkway.
This set, designed by Callum Dale, gives the opportunity for very layered staging. It is taken advantage of throughout the show as the audience is aware of hidden actions behind the curtains, while the main action unfolds on the main stage.
The action is regularly lifted by Jack Burmeister’s composition and soundscape. There is a certain naval quality to the composition with its bassy drums and horns. This gives way to full-blown air raid sirens that accompany Othello when he is at his most enraged.
At other times, the soundscape pairs itself back completely to make more room for the dialogue and action on stage. The use of crickets chirping in the play’s final moments create a beautiful sombreness to follow the tragic climax.
Melbourne Shakespeare Company’s Othello comes together as a very strong reimagining of the original text. Tanya Gerstle’s choices of what to explore in a stripped-back version of the story lead to a fascinating study of the text’s principal characters.
Haunting, human, and boldly reimagined, Melbourne Shakespeare Company’s Othello strips away excess to reveal raw intensity. A tragedy pared back to its essence, it resonates just as strongly for seasoned Shakespeare fans as it does for first-timers.
Othello is presented by Melbourne Shakespeare Company and runs to 28 September at fortyfivedownstairs. 45 Flinders Lane Melbourne.
Tickets: https://fortyfivedownstairs.com/event/othello/
Website: https://www.melbourneshakespeare.com/othello
Socials: https://www.instagram.com/melbourneshakespeare/
Photo credits: Nick Robertson
