The story telling is crystal clear in Ignace Cornelissen’s 75 minute reworking of Othello, translated by Purni Morrell. For example, we start with Othello (Okorie Chukwu) choosing Ronald Nsubuga’s Cassio as his lieutenant over Lawrence Walker’s Iago to make it clear from the outset why the scheming Iago is hell bent on bringing Othello down.
Ayoola Smart delights as Desdemona. She really doesn’t intend to be anyone’s chattel. An impressively naturalistic actor she simply can’t understand why Othello is making such a fuss about a handkerchief. Common sensibly taking Cassio into her tent to talk to him simply because it’s a cold night is her downfall.
Chukwu brings alternating gravitas and humour to Othello and handles his eventual anger and undoing with appropriate dignity. Walker gives Iago suitably ferret-like, sinister determination and Ricky Fearon is convincing as Desdemona’s father. As Cassio, Nsubuga seems young and easily (mis)led which works.
James Button’s fine set uses the whole of Unicorn’s large playing area so that there’s a sense of frightening emptiness around the action as, for example, Othello and Desdemona retreat to their lit tent at the end and earlier in the play when moveable blocks variously become a sideboard, war office and other things.
There are problems with this production, however. An all black cast of five means that you really do have to simplify and change the plot. And although Shakespeare isn’t mentioned on the posters everyone knows that his play is the source so a bit of his language wouldn’t have come amiss.
Review by Susan Elkin