Not quite white
Othello
Old Fire Station, 16 May - 20 May
Fresh from raping his way across the stage in Hilary Term, Benjamin Hunt takes on another depraved character in this term’s production of Shakespeare’s Othello. His Iago is a peculiar performance. Enjoyably, he doesn’t speak his lines in the hammy malicious way that convention usually induces actors to; and his Iago adopts the strategic attitude of grave, somewhat emotional concern, rather than coy insinuation.
But too often he puts on a cartoonish facial expression, and his speech becomes frequently monotonous — albeit in a ferocious, rather than bored, manner. Henry Oliver is an effective Othello, even though no one seems to have realised that he is not black. His performance is, however, like Hunt’s, a little mixed.
He strikes the right note of seriousness, thankfully avoiding the all too easy melodrama of the role; but occasionally this carries over into a physical composure entirely at odds with the lines he utters. When talking to Desdemona under the assumption that she is guilty of adultery, Oliver’s Othello is excellently taut and aggrieved and full of tension. He is painfully, powerfully, self-restrained. The scene of his confrontation with her is like a slow explosion, and perfectly acted.
But he goes on to say some of his more chaotic speeches with the attitude of a bored Estate Agent. Nevertheless, this is generally a hearty production, even if it is all rather static. Emelia is enjoyably acted by Amy Tatton-Brown. Eleanor Nairne as Bianca, without meaning to offend, is suitably slatternly. Corinne Sawers’ Desdemona is as good as far as Desdemonas go.
11th May 2006