You’re Once, Twice, Three Times Iago: Othello, Riverside Studios, London
Although this is Othello’s story, this version of Shakespeare’s psychological play chooses to focus on Iago — by having three actors play him at the same time. The idea is to show the thoughts and forces besetting Othello in this tragedy, his oppression. Unfortunately, through heavy editing of the script and stylisation, the play ends up being more about Iago than the pressures upon Othello.
Thus we see one of the Iago(s) chatting to Emilia out filching Desdemona’s marital gift (the scarf with strawberries on it), for his/their nefarious scheme of destroying Othello’s marriage and driving him mad with insecurity. But then the rest of the conversations with Emilia are cut, so we only learn through hints in other conversations that the scarf is lost and found by a bewildered Cassio in his room. Plus Othello demands to know where the scarf is, then stomps off followed by Desdemona and more words are cut, making it an unfortunate isolated scene. The increasing tension is there, but not as written — the tension here is more about Iago(s) bringing their scheme to fruition.
We see Othello’s mounting confusion and jealousy, but having murdered Desdemona, she stays dead (Emilia stays at the door of the room, never really learning what’s happened in the same way, even when she does come in, the murderer is not revealed by the expiring victim). The play ends in a jumbled rush — Othello exits (not quite pursued by a bear, but almost) and Iago is/ Iago(s) are left to gloat on stage in bitter triumph.
In jettisoning much of the script for speed or time, we lose the growing sense of Iago(s) plotting and he/they are purely evil from the beginning. It also creates confusion in the audience about what is going on and who everyone is. We don’t really get a sense of why Emilia would even get the scarf for Iago(s) as their future scenes have been snipped away.
Where it works well is in the stylisation — clearly a decision has been made to depict weaponless violence, which suggested astutely through body positions, sound effects and lighting. Rather than seeing Desdemona strangled and smothered, then pop back to life, we see her straining again a read bedspread which Othello hauls over her head. A battle at sea is suggested by the cast creating sound effects and cleverly miming a man overboard. I think this is the sea battle where Othello gains his fame — but I’m not sure. I don’t know why Othello dragged a sort of rope on a wheel up and down the stage — maybe this was his effort to make his reputation in naval bravery?
Rose Riley fully restored all the life, thoughtfulness and vivacity to Desdemona, and we saw why she would fall in love with Othello, and how much they loved each other, in a wedding ceremony, (maybe in Yoruba?) Martins Imhangbe made a convincing Othello, but unfortunately the Iago(s) dominated the story, pushing him from the centre. Their role in the story was skewed, as they began as evil from the beginning and had nowhere to go, but down. There was no sense of ‘honest Iago, who as Patterson Joseph has observed, should appear rational and believable, a good bloke, like us; so that when his conniving and complicity begins and comes to fruition it is a horror and a shock. Whilst the multiple whispering Iago(s) around Desdemona’s father worked well as a representation of social prejudice, and the drunken corruption of Cassio who didn’t want to drink, losing him his reputation was very sinister, to end the play with the Iago(s) almost triumphant lost the sense of the play entirely. Overall the lack of nuance defeated the object of this imaginative and symbolic telling, although it did make Desdemona getting ready for bed all the more poignant (with our audience foreboding).
Overall I came away feeling somewhat unsatisfied and cheated as this is Othello’s story, nightmare, struggle; instead Iago and Desdemona took centre stage. As a imaginative work it was stunning, the minimalist set used to full advantage and the wheeling Iago(s) truly menacing — Michael C. Fox, Orlando James and Jeremy Neumark Jones. But so obviously baleful from the beginning that why would anyone trust them? However, for the short scenes she was in Rachel-Leah Hosker made an excellent Emilia and Roderigio, including death scene. Blink and you’ve missed Brabantio, who pretty much comes on to die. Although as Cassio, Ryan O’Doherty was similarly tender and excellent, again giving power to an often side-lined character.
However this was a preview as a gift of ShowScore; it will be intriguing to see how the cast develop as time goes on as so much has been put into it. Currently the play goes through without a break, hence the heavy editing. If some of the cut scenes were restored, it would be a better play and allow for a growing sense of hidden menace to build over time. Not to mention a more subtle revealing of Iago(s) real malicious intentions. He is meant to be Othello’s friend — we don’t see this here, outwardly.
