Othello was performed by Frantic Assembly at York Theatre Royal Tuesday 18 October 2022. The Director was Scott Graham.

First staged in 2008—and subsequently revived in 2014—Frantic Assembly’s reimagining of Othello is a bold and visceral piece of work.

Revision Cards

Similarly, when Bianca enters and chides Cassio for giving her a handkerchief she believes to be a love token from some other woman, she talks as though she never had almost the exact same conversation with Cassio in Act III, scene iv. The play’s unrealistic lapses, repetitions, expansions, and contractions may contribute to the audience’s sense that Iago’s power is almost like that of a charmer invoking a kind of magic. Othello has recognized his handkerchief and, coming out of hiding when Cassio and Bianca are gone, wonders how he should murder his former lieutenant. Othello goes on to lament his hardheartedness and love for Desdemona, but Iago reminds him of his purpose. Othello has trouble reconciling his wife’s delicacy, class, beauty, and allure with her adulterous actions. He suggests that he will poison his wife, but Iago advises him to strangle her in the bed that she contaminated through her infidelity. Iago also promises to arrange Cassio’s death. Scott Graham’s retelling of the classic Othello bursts with violence, betrayal and jealousy. Set in a run-down pub, rival gangs battle over what is theirs, and friends turn enemies as lies are spat and pushed around the group. Within this at times pulsing red pub a microcosm of the society Shakespeare created plays outs with loves and hopes born and torn down. Betrayed by the twisted Roderigo (Felipe Pacheco), Gill brought an air of innocence to his character — which made us as the audience feel protective as he was frequently mistreated and manhandled. My eyes were drawn to his character throughout the entire performance. The cast of Othello Act 2, scene 1 The Turkish fleet is destroyed in a storm, while Cassio and then Desdemona, Emilia, and Iago arrive safely at Cyprus. Desdemona anxiously waits for Othello. When his ship arrives, he and Desdemona joyfully greet each other. Iago, putting his plot into action, persuades Roderigo that Desdemona is in love with Cassio and that Roderigo should help get Cassio dismissed from the lieutenancy.

The title role of Othello was played by the talented Michael Akinsulire — whose portrayal of the protagonist captivated not only the audience but the cast surrounding him, as he recited his many monologues throughout the play. I will definitely be keeping my eye out for his future work as I can see more exciting and well-deserved opportunities coming his way. Michael Akinsulire as OthelloAct 3, scene 1 Cassio arrives with musicians to honor Othello and Desdemona. As Iago has recommended, Cassio asks Emilia to arrange a meeting with Desdemona, even though Emilia assures him that Desdemona is already urging Othello to reinstate him. Violence, sexuality, jealousy, racism and revenge are eternal dramatic themes.This adaptation by Scott Graham and Steven Hoggett manages to use Shakespearean language while resetting the play in apub, on an estate, in Northern England where gang members congregate. The raw violence of their lives rumbles alongside ideas of hierarchyand rigid values which fit perfectly with Shakespeare’s England. Their dialect blends with the rhythms and patterns of the speech enriching thedelivery. Entire Play In Venice, at the start of Othello, the soldier Iago announces his hatred for his commander, Othello, a Moor. Othello has promoted Cassio, not Iago, to be his lieutenant.Iago crudely informs Brabantio, Desdemona’s father, that Othello and Desdemona have eloped. Before the Venetian Senate, Brabantio accuses Othello of bewitching Desdemona. The Senators wish to send Othello to Cyprus, which is under threat from Turkey. They bring Desdemona before them. She tells of her love for Othello, and the marriage stands. The Senate agrees to let her join Othello in Cyprus.In Cyprus, Iago continues to plot against Othello and Cassio. He lures Cassio into a drunken fight, for which Cassio loses his new rank; Cassio, at Iago’s urging, then begs Desdemona to intervene. Iago uses this and other ploys—misinterpreted conversations, insinuations, and a lost handkerchief—to convince Othello that Desdemona and Cassio are lovers. Othello goes mad with jealousy and later smothers Desdemona on their marriage bed, only to learn of Iago’s treachery. He then kills himself.

Like Cyprus, Othello is half Venetian, half “other,” and his predicament is the result of forces that are half comedic mischief and half deep-rooted, essential evil. Perhaps as a way of embodying these two clashing worlds, the play continues to upset the audience’s relationship to time. Iago claims, “This is [Othello’s] second fit. He had one yesterday” (IV.i. 48). We have no basis on which to judge this claim, but if the play’s action does, in fact, span three days, then Othello’s first fit must have taken place before Iago even provoked his jealous rage. Othello and Iago enter in mid-conversation. Iago goads Othello by arguing that it is no crime for a woman to be naked with a man, if nothing happens. Iago then remarks that if he were to give his wife a handkerchief, it would be hers to do as she wished with it. These persistent insinuations of Desdemona’s unfaithfulness work Othello into an incoherent frenzy. He focuses obsessively on the handkerchief and keeps pumping Iago for information about Cassio’s comments to Iago. Finally, Iago says that Cassio has told him he has lain with Desdemona, and Othello “[f]alls down in a trance” (IV.i. 41 stage direction).Lodovico’s arrival from Venice serves as a reminder of how great Othello’s transformation has been. As he stood before the senate at the beginning of the play, he was a great physical as well as verbal presence, towering above Brabanzio in stature and in eloquence, arresting the eyes and ears of his peers in the most political of public spaces, the court. After a short time in Cyprus, Iago has managed to bring about Othello’s “savage madness” (IV.i. 52). Othello loses control of his speech and, as he writhes on the ground, his movements. Othello’s trance and swoon in this scene present him at the greatest possible distance from the noble figure he was before the senate in Act I, scene iii. The play’s hyper-violence throws a sharp focus on domestic abuse. The familiar setting means Desdemona is no longer a figure in a far-off country, but the girl you might know from down the road. Emilia is not her servant, but her best friend, and both have been abused by dominant men in a world where brutality is a way of life. The York Notes on Othello cover a range of essential key skills such as extract analysis, responding to quotations or viewpoints and using critical interpretations and perspectives. Students who do well in their responses to questions on Othello at A Level are likely to have shown the examiner that they have a detailed knowledge of Othello’s motivations in killing Desdemona, the role that Iago plays in corrupting Othello and the importance of the dual setting in Venice and Cyprus. They will also be able to draw on a range of critical viewpoints to enhance their own interpretation of the drama. This mechanism of capture that exerts its force over the characters of Cyprus also occurs within Othello himself. The play refers on a number of occasions to jealousy as an innate force that cannot be planted, but instead grows from within and consumes itself and its host. Othello falls prey to the illusion of his own strength and power, and the jealousy it hides, just as Cyprus gives the illusion of providing a haven from the workings of the law. Michael Akinsulire excels as Othello, capturing the strength and charisma that makes the character so admired in the first half of the play, before collapsing into wide-eyed paranoia during the second. Also impressive is Joe Layton as Iago, who skilfully conveys the false jocularity that makes Shakespeare’s most cunning villain seem so trustworthy.

Frantic Assembly’s choreography is often extremely complex, yet their numerous movement sequences always look effortlessly performed. Iago crudely informs Brabantio, Desdemona’s father, that Othello and Desdemona have eloped. Before the Venetian Senate, Brabantio accuses Othello of bewitching Desdemona. The Senators wish to send Othello to Cyprus, which is under threat from Turkey. They bring Desdemona before them. She tells of her love for Othello, and the marriage stands. The Senate agrees to let her join Othello in Cyprus.

Other elements which contribute to the dynamism of the production include Hybrid’s propulsive dance music and powerful lighting from Natasha Chivers and Andy Purves. But this play stands or falls by its Iago. Jamie Smelt was terrific – plotting, scheming, playing his puppets at will, then turning to confide in the audience with a knowing glance that seemed to say: ‘‘You see what fools they are?.’’ Tremendous. Because Othello is all about the inner workings of the mind, the intimate Theatre Royal studio works perfectly for the York Shakespeare Project’s production. It mademe think, maybe Frantic Assembly should revisittheir policy of doing new plays and slip in the odd few classics from the early 17th century? I’d vote for Ben Jonson any time!