Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

From blushing bridegroom back to cold-blooded killer

Iago plays on Othello’s fears like a maestro on a Stradivarius.

Why does Othello distrust Desdemona while their wedding cake’s still fresh?
Why does Othello distrust Desdemona while their wedding cake’s still fresh?

Othello

Iago: “Men should be what they seem. Or those that be not, would they might seem none.”

Othello: “Certain, men should be what they seem.”

I was re-reading Shakespeare’s Othello recently, and the obvious poked through: Iago is really good. Not in a moral sense. He’s resolutely evil, a “demi-devil,” and quite possibly un-killable, since Othello’s angry sword can’t pierce his heart. Iago’s “really good” in his tactics and how he crafts Othello’s arc. The Moor regresses from blushing bridegroom back to cold-blooded killer. Iago plays on Othello’s fears like a maestro on a Stradivarius.

Sponsored
Sponsored

Iago: “I see, sir, you are eaten up with passion. I do repent me that I put it to you.”

Which, of course, inflames the Moor all the more.

Iago is an “ensign” in Othello’s army. He only has one duty. When the soldiers charge into battle, he must lead the way, unarmed, holding the company’s colors high. In effect, he’s the biggest target on the battlefield. He will bring honor to himself by doing his duty without flinching — even as he falls and dies and soldiers stomp over his remains.

He’d much rather be a lieutenant. Let the fodder sprint into smoking cannons. But Othello gave that title to Michael Cassio, whose merits are suspect, at least to Iago. So he’ll take down Cassio and put his general’s “perfect soul” to the ultimate test.

We’ve seen all manner of Iagos: some as emotionally deformed as the Hunchback of Notre Dame is physically; drooling sadists; and the occasional, effective split between a congenial surface and the “I am not what I am” catacomb of evil. Richard Thomas is certainly a fine actor. He speaks his speeches trippingly and never resorts to showy theatrics: smoke never puffs from his ears or nostrils. But his Iago is all surface. He’s so relaxed and completely in charge that obstacles tumble before him. More impish than devilish, he gets laughs, lots of them. In his asides and soliloquies, he’s our buddy. But wouldn’t the real Iago hate us, too?

For much of the play, the audience sides with Thomas — or possibly with John-Boy, the character he played in The Waltons. In either case, the Old Globe’s Othello unfolds more like a comedy with a sad ending than on a headlong, tidal wave of tragedy.

An urge to entertain gets in the way. Roderigo, a Venetian gentleman whole-hog in love with Desdemona, is just a buffoon. Talented Jonny Orsini stumbles around like a boneless clown with few chances to register any serious emotion. He’s no match for Iago. Nor, in a strange way, is Othello.

Blair Underwood wears slender dreadlocks and gives the Moor a Jamaican accent (you half expect him to say “I-and-I smoke ites to Iration, mon”). Underwood has the athletic swagger and the vocal chops for the role, though he uses mannered gestures to indicate size: for the line “Blow all love to heaven,” he kisses both hands and flings them at the sky. But why is Othello, one of the mightiest warriors on the Mediterranean, so quick to fear infidelity? Why distrust Desdemona while their wedding cake’s still fresh? He’s at his best in tempests, climbing “hills of seas Olympus-high,” and far less amid the “calm winds” of peacetime. Othello may have as many motives as Iago (among them distrusting “too much of joy”). But the comic Iago flattens Othello’s strengths too readily.

Othello and Desdemona are obviously in love. But have they made love? The scholar/critic Harold Bloom, among others, says not yet — which might explain the Moor’s volcanic jealousy. Director Barry Edelstein takes the opposite tack: the newlyweds kiss and hug at every turn.

In some ways, Shakespeare made Desdemona a mirror. People read into her what they want to see. Kristen Connolly plays a well-spoken, “honest” Desdemona but misses her dilemma. Franz Kafka could have written her: she’s committed a mortal sin yet hasn’t a clue what it was. Without drifting into melodrama, Connolly could stress Desdemona’s perplexity and, in the end, fight more for her life.

Noah Bean heads the supporting cast as the gravely wronged Michael Cassio. Of all the performers, Bean speechifies least and is the most convincing combatant in the unconvincing, by-the-numbers fight scenes. Angela Reed’s Emilia effectively balances Iago’s brutal misogyny — women “rise to play, and go to bed to work” — with a blunt, #Men counterargument: “Let them know/ The ills we do their ills instruct us so.”

Edelstein’s casting Erin Elizabeth Adams as Bianca, Cassio’s mistress, is an intriguing choice. Adams is African-American. Cassio/Bianca matches Othello/Desdemona in reverse. When the soldiers at Cyprus turn on her, racism inflames their anger, which obviously has lurked against Othello all along.

Katherine Roth’s costumes reset the play somewhere in the early 19th Century, though Wilson Chin’s set, glitzy silver walls, and chain-link fences look more like Las Vegas than Venice or Cyprus. Curtis Moore’s original music has versatile percussionists Jonathan Hepfer and Ryan Nestor, live, pounding out martial rhythmns. At first they’re obtrusive and drown out speeches. Then they settle in, and their insistent pulses provide a level of tragic seriousness the staging often lacks.

The latest copy of the Reader

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Colorado governor Polis’ days in La Jolla canyons

Why Kamala might not run for Calif. governor
Next Article

Barrio Logan’s very good Dogg

Chicano comfort food proves plenty spicy
Why does Othello distrust Desdemona while their wedding cake’s still fresh?
Why does Othello distrust Desdemona while their wedding cake’s still fresh?

Othello

Iago: “Men should be what they seem. Or those that be not, would they might seem none.”

Othello: “Certain, men should be what they seem.”

I was re-reading Shakespeare’s Othello recently, and the obvious poked through: Iago is really good. Not in a moral sense. He’s resolutely evil, a “demi-devil,” and quite possibly un-killable, since Othello’s angry sword can’t pierce his heart. Iago’s “really good” in his tactics and how he crafts Othello’s arc. The Moor regresses from blushing bridegroom back to cold-blooded killer. Iago plays on Othello’s fears like a maestro on a Stradivarius.

Sponsored
Sponsored

Iago: “I see, sir, you are eaten up with passion. I do repent me that I put it to you.”

Which, of course, inflames the Moor all the more.

Iago is an “ensign” in Othello’s army. He only has one duty. When the soldiers charge into battle, he must lead the way, unarmed, holding the company’s colors high. In effect, he’s the biggest target on the battlefield. He will bring honor to himself by doing his duty without flinching — even as he falls and dies and soldiers stomp over his remains.

He’d much rather be a lieutenant. Let the fodder sprint into smoking cannons. But Othello gave that title to Michael Cassio, whose merits are suspect, at least to Iago. So he’ll take down Cassio and put his general’s “perfect soul” to the ultimate test.

We’ve seen all manner of Iagos: some as emotionally deformed as the Hunchback of Notre Dame is physically; drooling sadists; and the occasional, effective split between a congenial surface and the “I am not what I am” catacomb of evil. Richard Thomas is certainly a fine actor. He speaks his speeches trippingly and never resorts to showy theatrics: smoke never puffs from his ears or nostrils. But his Iago is all surface. He’s so relaxed and completely in charge that obstacles tumble before him. More impish than devilish, he gets laughs, lots of them. In his asides and soliloquies, he’s our buddy. But wouldn’t the real Iago hate us, too?

For much of the play, the audience sides with Thomas — or possibly with John-Boy, the character he played in The Waltons. In either case, the Old Globe’s Othello unfolds more like a comedy with a sad ending than on a headlong, tidal wave of tragedy.

An urge to entertain gets in the way. Roderigo, a Venetian gentleman whole-hog in love with Desdemona, is just a buffoon. Talented Jonny Orsini stumbles around like a boneless clown with few chances to register any serious emotion. He’s no match for Iago. Nor, in a strange way, is Othello.

Blair Underwood wears slender dreadlocks and gives the Moor a Jamaican accent (you half expect him to say “I-and-I smoke ites to Iration, mon”). Underwood has the athletic swagger and the vocal chops for the role, though he uses mannered gestures to indicate size: for the line “Blow all love to heaven,” he kisses both hands and flings them at the sky. But why is Othello, one of the mightiest warriors on the Mediterranean, so quick to fear infidelity? Why distrust Desdemona while their wedding cake’s still fresh? He’s at his best in tempests, climbing “hills of seas Olympus-high,” and far less amid the “calm winds” of peacetime. Othello may have as many motives as Iago (among them distrusting “too much of joy”). But the comic Iago flattens Othello’s strengths too readily.

Othello and Desdemona are obviously in love. But have they made love? The scholar/critic Harold Bloom, among others, says not yet — which might explain the Moor’s volcanic jealousy. Director Barry Edelstein takes the opposite tack: the newlyweds kiss and hug at every turn.

In some ways, Shakespeare made Desdemona a mirror. People read into her what they want to see. Kristen Connolly plays a well-spoken, “honest” Desdemona but misses her dilemma. Franz Kafka could have written her: she’s committed a mortal sin yet hasn’t a clue what it was. Without drifting into melodrama, Connolly could stress Desdemona’s perplexity and, in the end, fight more for her life.

Noah Bean heads the supporting cast as the gravely wronged Michael Cassio. Of all the performers, Bean speechifies least and is the most convincing combatant in the unconvincing, by-the-numbers fight scenes. Angela Reed’s Emilia effectively balances Iago’s brutal misogyny — women “rise to play, and go to bed to work” — with a blunt, #Men counterargument: “Let them know/ The ills we do their ills instruct us so.”

Edelstein’s casting Erin Elizabeth Adams as Bianca, Cassio’s mistress, is an intriguing choice. Adams is African-American. Cassio/Bianca matches Othello/Desdemona in reverse. When the soldiers at Cyprus turn on her, racism inflames their anger, which obviously has lurked against Othello all along.

Katherine Roth’s costumes reset the play somewhere in the early 19th Century, though Wilson Chin’s set, glitzy silver walls, and chain-link fences look more like Las Vegas than Venice or Cyprus. Curtis Moore’s original music has versatile percussionists Jonathan Hepfer and Ryan Nestor, live, pounding out martial rhythmns. At first they’re obtrusive and drown out speeches. Then they settle in, and their insistent pulses provide a level of tragic seriousness the staging often lacks.

Comments
Sponsored

The latest copy of the Reader

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Aaron Bleiweiss: has guitar, has traveled

Seattle native takes Twists and Turns to assemble local all-stars
Next Article

O’side Tree Lighting & Gift Market, Holiday Lights at the Museum, The Elovaters and Little Stranger

Events December 5-December 6, 2024
Comments
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

This Week’s Reader This Week’s Reader