Last Saturday I saw Northwest Classical Theatre Company's Othello! I was actually quite lucky to get a seat because the play sold out before opening day. It got a lot of publicity thanks to visiting director Bill Alexander, who has had a long career at the Royal Shakespeare Company and Birmingham Repertory Theatre. He did an amazing job! For those of you who have not been to Portland's shoebox theater, the name says it all. It seats 30-40 people cozily. Being used to the theaters in Ashland or the Armory downtown, the size threw me off when I first visited to see last years production of "Hamlet". I got used to it really fast, and now the small, intense atmosphere is one of my favorite aspects of NWCTC's shows. I think the tragedies work especially well when seen up close. No matter where you sit, you feel a part of the action. So, how was Othello?
This was the first time I've seen Othello, and I've long been anxious to cross it off the list. I don't have anything to compare this production to, but I thought it was fantastic. I'll break down my thoughts on a few characters:
Othello: Wrick Jones was very regal as Othello. He has a wonderfully rich voice that sounded beautiful with Shakespeare's words. One thing I love about Othello is his gift of storytelling. It is a talent I especially admire. When charged with bewitching Desdemona, he defends himself claiming that she fell in love with him while he told stories of his many adventures. Watching his happiness destroyed by Iago's careful prodding was maddening. It was like Romeo and Juliet all over again... ("Why couldn't you have waited 5 minutes!? She was about to wake up! You came so close!"). I thought Jones did particularly well conveying both heartbreak and anger in his last moments with Desdemona.
Fun Fact: Wrick Jones was a Portland Streetcar Driver in "Grimm"!
Iago: I realized after I saw the play that I had seen the actor who played Iago, Michael Mendelson, before in last year's "Sherlock Holmes and the Case of the Christmas Carol" at Artist's Repertory Theatre. He was a great Sherlock/Scrooge and an amazing Iago. "Othello" seems to be Iago's story as much as Othello's. From the first few lines of the show, he orchestrates the plot, easily manipulating everyone around him. In this production, Iago has a "thinking chair" in the audience where he goes to deliver his little aside speeches. This was very funny, and made watching Iago's thought process as he schemes the ruin of his friend all the more fascinating.
Desdemona: I'd seen Melissa Whitney, who played Desdemona, before in "Much Ado About Nothing" earlier this year. She was sincere, dignified and graceful as Desdemona. It was annoying to see Othello mistrust his obviously faithful wife! Well, I suppose it is a tragedy. When she used her last breath to forgive her husband I almost cried ( I never cry at plays, so almost crying is about as sad as it gets for me!).
Emilia: Emilia might have been my favorite character. Dana Millican seemed very down to earth amidst the swirling drama and intense emotion. Not that she doesn't get intense too. Her performance in the last scene as she realized her part in her friend Desdemona's death gave me chills . Her relationship with her husband Iago was interesting to watch as well.
Cassio: Tom Walton, who I'm pretty sure played Laertes in last year's "Hamlet", made Cassio a very three dimensional character. Having never seen the play acted before, I had thought Cassio would simply be a plot device or pawn Iago uses to incite Othello's jealousy. Instead, Cassio turned out to be a very interesting character who is noble and good, but struggles with flaws and temptations. Walton's speech about reputation was my favorite in the play.
So there you have it! The rest of the cast gave excellent strong performances as well but I decided to only cover the major characters. This was my favorite play at the shoebox so far! Unfortunately it's too late to get tickets, but "Pericles" will start up in mid November so don't miss it!
