"Othello" at Oregon Shakespeare Festival

OSF photo by Jenny Graham

Longtime readers will recall that I didn't care for my first taste of Othello, back in 2016 at Cal Shakes. I still stand by my evaluation of that production, in spite of the spirited defenses of it by some people I deeply respect. Different strokes.

So I welcomed the chance to see a more traditional rendering of this classic tragedy, something that should come pretty naturally to OSF (although, hey, they managed to mangle Romeo and Juliet earlier in the week, so anything is possible).

The Play

As before, I am not going to expend any energy trying to summarize this play. Its broad outlines are extremely well known, and when uninterrupted by extraneous material, it can be extremely powerful.

The Production

Director Bill Rauch has chosen to make a few little tweaks to his Othello. The setting is contemporary, and Othello himself (Chris Butler) is still Moorish in the sense of being an outsider and black, but now comes from the Caribbean, and instead of a general he commands the Navy. Otherwise, this is the familiar setup. Iago (Danforth Comins) is his ambitious and racist aide, both inserting doubt into his trusting superior's mind and fanning the jealous flames of racist Rodrigo (Stephen Michael Spencer). That Iago's wife Emilia (Amy Kim Waschke) is both Asian and also in the navy just adds more dimension to the already intricate plot. And Othello's relationship with Desdemona (Alejandra Escalante) seems both more impetuous and more fiery than I expected, but all the better to infuriate her father and the others who would object to the marriage.

The acting, as one expects at Ashland, is outstanding, with Comins and Spencer and Escalante being particular standouts. Butler is terrific, and very consistent with his Caribbean persona, though he tends to hit the top of his rage range a bit quickly, thus depriving some of his scenes of any ability to escalate. But overall the casting and performance is quite excellent.

The production overall is sparse, or perhaps I should say, Spartan. The sets are not elaborate, just enough to convey the needed sense of place. And it all has a sort of generically military feel, sort of aging, drab, and remote. And the Bowmer theater feels quite intimate for what is generally a play staged on a large scale.

Bottom Line

It works. The setting and casting work well together to produce a taut, moving version of the well-known text. Comins is masterful in his machinations, with everyone else serving as willing, yet unknowing, co-conspirators. If anything, it is Iago's fall that feels in some ways more tragic than that of Othello and Desdemona, since he has served as ringmaster for the entire production.

I could probably nitpick about some of the staging of the climactic scene, but I won't. It works well enough.

After waiting so long to see any production of Othello, I have now seen two that are extremely well acted, and one that manages to capture the power and intricacy of the story. Indeed, my wife who had never seen the play staged before said she felt like she doesn't need to see it staged again, that this was such an excellent version that she feels she has seen enough. I pretty much agree that I don't need to see it again any time soon, but I'm glad I have now seen a production that respects Shakespeare's work enough to let it stand on its own. I'm also sure time and circumstances will add context and flavor to the play anew, some day.

But for now, this is an excellent production of this classic. Definitely worth seeing and appreciating.