Othello

Othello, Icarus Theatre Collective, New Theatre Royal, Portsmouth, October 22

http://www.icarustheatre.org/

I’m never quite convinced that Othello’s jealousy is quite justified. By all means, he is worked upon and deceived but he seems to descend into it with undue complicity. Perhaps he should have been more trusting but that’s easy for me to say and the play is perhaps a study of the green-eyed monster rather than the devious plot that causes it. In this production, again, the noble, confident and happy Moor is very quickly beset by doubts.
The talented cast here played their own string quintet soundtrack, an evocative set of themes and motifs, as well as acting the parts and the lighting, so often a forgotten part of any production was well done, too. Both contributed to the mood of shadows and sinister intent.
Vinta Morgan was impressive as Othello, powerful, passionate and then horribly undone. Like Vivian Richards at his most imperious, you can imagine that he’d been designed for the part. Christopher Dingli grew in malevolence as Iago and only perhaps Roderigo didn’t add up to much for me, the comic effects possibly played up too much. Despite so many of the constituent parts being so fine, the overall effect was fractionally short of something. While admiring this, that or the other aspect of it, I wasn’t as involved as I might have been but it will remain in the memory for the music incorporated into the scenes. Lush or lyrical and then suggestive of danger or mental disturbance or distress, it was a masterstroke.I can do no more than commend it to you if it’s coming to near you soon.