Theater review: A few performances help in Tavern’s so-so ‘Othello’
THEATER REVIEW
“Othello”
Grade: C+
Through Nov. 3. 7:30 p.m. Thursdays-Saturdays, 6:30 p.m. Sundays. $15-$36. The New American Shakespeare Tavern, 499 Peachtree St. N.E., Atlanta. 404-874-5299, www.shakespearetavern.com.
Bottom line: Fairly solid but strictly routine.
Given the fixed dimensions of its stage and the company’s standard “original practice” approach to the material, there usually isn’t a lot of stylistic distinction between one Shakespeare Tavern production and the next.
And so it goes with director Laura Cole’s current staging of “Othello.” The plot and character details may differ greatly from those of “Hamlet” or “Macbeth,” but in another sense, it’s basically just more of the same. Ho-hum.
The classic tragedy involves the titular Moor of Venice (played by Victor Love) and the insinuating underling, Iago (Andrew Houchins), who deceives him into doubting the fidelity of his young (white) bride, Desdemona (Jennifer Alice Acker). Sparked by little more than a misplaced handkerchief, the “green-eyed monster” known as jealousy rears its ugly head and wreaks deadly havoc on them all.
In the typical Tavern tradition, the show is marked by a considerable amount of direct address to the audience, with cast members regularly breaking theater’s proverbial fourth wall — and essentially breaking character, too.
Here, the most serious casualty of this technique is Houchins, a perfectly able actor who nevertheless misses the mark as Iago, arguably the great Shakespearean villain. His frequent asides come across as smirking rather than sinister, more comical than ironic, as though he were winking at the crowd for a laugh every time he mentions his (false) honesty, kindness or trust.
Love cuts an imposing figure in the title role. At his height, he towers over and dwarfs the rest of the cast, literally if not always dramatically. To see him standing next to Houchins somehow undermines the adversarial balance between their characters.
Elsewhere in the ensemble, Acker’s performance gets progressively stronger and deeper as the plot thickens and Desdemona becomes increasingly desperate to defend her faith and honor. The show’s singularly transcendent moment belongs to her, singing a haunting and heartfelt lullaby.
Other standouts include Bobby Labartino (as the Duke of Venice), Daniel Parvis (as Cassio, Othello’s lieutenant and heir apparent) and Kati Grace Brown (as Iago’s wife, Emilia). But most of the actors take the routine Tavern approach to speed-reading their dialogue, making it harder to truly appreciate the beauty of Shakespeare’s language or to even follow what they’re saying at all.
Generally speaking, whether or not you’ve ever seen this particular play before, you’re likely to feel as if you had.
