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Othello setting6/27/2023 ![]() "He's you or me feeling jealous and not being able to control our feelings." It's a performance of bitterness that perfectly captures the thoughts of a previous Iago that came to Manchester.Īndy Serkis, who shot to fame playing Gollum in Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings film trilogy, played Iago in 2002 at Manchester's Royal Exchange Theatre and wrote in his memoir that he feels the antagonist was "once a good soldier" and "a great man's man to have around" - but that turns sour quickly after feeling bruised by what he perceives to be a betrayal. When readers with only an understanding of the surface of the play (and, disclaimer: I am one of them, having never seriously studied it before) look to boil down the antagonist Iago's role, it'd be easy to conjure up imagery of a panto villain - an Iago who twirls his moustache and is only barely holding himself back from finishing most of his sentences with a hearty: "Mu-hahahaha".īut those who saw Frantic Assembly's Othello at The Lowry last night were submerged in Joe Layton's portrayal of Shakespeare's villain - Layton's performance is a cocktail of male rage and insecurity which dominates the evening. Michael Akinsulire as the titular character is a marvel - a stunning physical presence on the tight, small stage and as the play descends into paranoia and tragedy he conveys his own downfall with emotional frailty and arresting instability.Īlthough the play is titled Othello, this is really The Iago Show. It’s a lot to take in, and you need to acclimatise quickly.īut if you can adapt to the style in the first act, you’ll revel in the substance in the second. Meanwhile Iago dons a Nike t-shirt that reads “Just Do It”. ![]() ![]() At one stage Bianca emerges fiddling with her nose in a manner that suggests alcohol isn’t the only substance on offer. Desdemona delivers one of her key scenes while sat on the loo. Iago reacts by planning the downfall of his superiors as an act of revenge - and in fairly typical fashion (SPOILER ALERT) pretty much everyone ends up miserable, dead, or both.īut those who know the text and those who are coming to it fresh will find the play's take on it - with a sort-of This Is England demeanour - amusing, a little bit horrifying and refreshing in their own time.įor example Cassio’s downfall begins as he downs too many shots of what I think was sambuca, and bottles of Peroni. Having fought side by side for many years together, Iago rose to become Othello's chief advisor - only to be turned down for a promotion, which instead goes to Cassio. Written by William Shakespeare in (we reckon) 1603, the play centres on military commander Othello and his standard-bearer and behind-the-scenes mischief maker Iago. However as the brash production builds its volcanic atmosphere to the point of frenzy, when violence breaks out (and it often does) there are gasps from the audience. Othello comes to The Lowry in Salford (Image: Vincent Cole - Manchester Evening News)
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