Othello: NT Livestream
What a treat to watch Giles Terera for free! Having missed this Clint Dyer production previously, it was wonderful to watch a streamed version. The play restored character agency as well as showing Othello’s isolation, rising against all the odds to success and then disaster. We sense how lonely he is, how delighted to be truly seen by Desdemona in a hostile X (formerly known as Twitter/blue bird) noisy mob rule world. And Iago is mostly outwardly ‘honest’ every man, (until he isn’t).
Giles Terera as Othello is active; we see him in full warrior mode. In a stepped cross between a ziggurat and an arena, he rises up on a platform lauded and cheered by the crowd. Once he’s raised up the same mob boo and bay at him. We see how terribly alone and friendless he is in this hostile or unpredictable environment, and how much Desdemona seeing him, befriending him, loving him means. And how the thought of her betrayal and infidelity would drive him mad and destroy him. Truly this Othello is vulnerable and fragile as well as successful and victorious combatant.
The staging is really something. This is very much society as Twitter/X-mob. Lighting and the steps are used to extraordinary effect in what is a very minimal setting overall. The steps also double up as seating and the cast will often sit on this, listening in to key scenes in the play and almost acting like a chorus. Very little is done in secret!
Having watched again I think the ever changing year relates to the date the play was first performed and every year since. Images of productions of Othello across the centuries are projected, with Giles Terera dynamically appearing at the end. After a ‘cleaner’ has apparently cleaned up some blood — what? From the beginning Othello here is watched, ready to be built up and then pulled down against in an instance.
The ‘mob’ element also comes into play when Desdemona’s father Brabantio (Jay Simpson) is stirred up to rage at Othello for marrying/’stealing’ his daughter and as is Roderigo (Jack Bardoe) who is apparently disappointed, even outraged. Tho Brabantio is very much that Desdemona is not for Roderigo and that they have no business being outside his house creating a fuss to begin with. The racist element of the crowd social outrage is really apparent here. At many points lighted torches are used — light coming into darkness and what is done in secret coming to light are big themes here.
Othello’s dignity and stateliness in dealing with all this madness is eminent and makes his fall later on all the sadder. He marshalls huge calm and public dignity in the face of such unreason.
As Desdemona, Rosy McEwen shows both youth and a strong character in fighting back against Othello’s cruelty later on. She defends herself to the end and seeks to love and care for him. Desdemona’s father calms down, and all is well…for now.
But Iago… (Paul Hilton) is very much in the background, every man and yet devious, treacherous and scheming. We see how he calmly befriends Cassio (Rory Fleck Byrne), Roderigo etc. and gets his schemes under way. More troubling is his relationship with Emilia (Tanya Franks) in this version — from the beginning she has an obvious bruise on her face and later on Iago is shown to be domestically abusing her. The weakness in this characterisation is that on one hand Iago is everyman, a trustworthy good bloke and on the other obviously abusing his wife. I suspect he’d be the kind of man who’d hit where it wouldn’t show — whereas a woman with a mark on her face immediately makes her husband suspect. Or perhaps this is a society where such things are overlooked. He’s so brutal and belittling to her from the beginning of the play that it’s hard to see why she stays with him or why she appears to be attracted to him at all — but does make her defiance of him at the end all the more remarkable and powerful. In this version Iago’s social cunning is uneven depicted. But how helpful and comforting he is! What a great source of advice!
The noose is troubling though. Desdemona has Iago’s measure though — calling out his words and ideas. Less is made of her apparent friendship with Cassio here — though it is suggested.
Iago fourths walls the audience making us party to his inner thoughts and secret ambitions. We are almost culpable with him. Je suis Iago indeed. And it is monstrous… But it’s working!
We see Iago doctoring drink to get Cassio drunk and disgraced. Cassio’s protests that he doesn’t want to be like this are passionate. Urged by his faithful confidant Iago, Cassio asks Desdemona to plea to her lord on his behalf — which she does and using a purloined handkerchief, Iago plants doubts in Othello’s mind, poisoning him against his wife. Don’t trust Iago — but everyone does.
Even in his obviously disturbed and distressed state, Desdemona seeks to care for Othello, as well as protesting against his unfair charges.
Worse still, using the darkness and stepped set, Othello hides in one corner overhearing Desdemona apparently professing love for Cassio. Not to mention boasting of how she will deceive him. Not having the handkerchief to hand proves it. Or does it? Unnervingly Othello starts to have seizures indicating the stress and pain he’s now under, isolated beyond endurance socially.
Using the fullness of the text here Othello chokes Desdemona apparently to death, almost in a mocking loving embrace — only to be discovered by Emilia and have the torment of whether to continue to destroy his wife…or not…Desdemona does come pathetically and tragically back to life, trying to protect Othello.
Rather than any props, the same platform shown at the beginning of the play is used. Emilia realises that all is not well, Othello is acting suspiciously and raises a hue and cry. Iago is thoroughly delighted as his revenge on Othello is almost complete. Only he has reckoned without Cassio and Emilia. Or Bianca, (a feisty Kirsty J Curtis).
Though derided as a poor woman, Bianca reveals the truth about the handkerchief. Emilia (despite Iago’s attempts to physically shut her up and menace her) speaks truth at last, revealing all that Iago has been concocting behind the scenes. Expecting to see Othello get his, the tables are well and truly turned on Iago! Only Iago murders Emilia to stop her speaking. Mortified, Othello flies at Iago to get revenge, realising what he has done and been manipulated into. They struggle bitterly, Othello stabs Iago and then falls on a sword himself. Unsilenced, Emilia meanwhile falls alongside Desdemona.
In a forceful use of red light at the end, our focus in back on Othello as wounded, emotionally and physically, he falls back, having stabbed himself on to the steps and dies. Being surrounded by a group makes his end more tragic, highlighting again his isolation, uniqueness and fragility.
@ Images are taken from the National Theatre production of Othello and used purely to illustrate the article. They are not the author’s own, being the property of the National Theatre and the NT Live version. October 2023.
