Frantic Assembly’s “Othello” – Review

Though I’ve often heard of Frantic Assembly, particularly since coming to university, I’ve never had the opportunity to see any of their work. Approaching their current performance of Othello, directed by Scott Graham, then, I was pretty unsure of what to expect. A scan of the show’s page on the Birmingham REP website told me that the performance would only last an hour and forty minutes. A traditionalist, I began to fear for poor Shakespeare’s play, and will admit I sat down in my seat with some trepidation.

What I saw, however, completely blew me away. This was Shakespeare in all its glory, as the language melded with the movements in a way that was so perfectly choreographed, one could have assumed those were Shakespeare’s original stage directions. The text was appropriately stripped back, keeping behind only the scenes and speech which were most necessary to the development of the plot, while aspects of the plot otherwise unexplained in the chosen scenes were carried forward through physical interludes, serving as a nice reprieve for those who are not so familiar with the Shakespeare text.

The set, designed by Laura Hopkins, served to enhance the movement of the actors as the seemingly solid walls of the “Cypress” bar warped and moved to accommodate them, before opening completely to reveal a graffitied brick wall. There are no sumptuous four poster beds here, as the marriage bed which forms the central focus of the plot is replaced with a pool table; an entirely apt representation of the raw and animalistic nature of this production.

The acting was superb, and as a Northern girl I felt great pride in hearing the West Yorkshire accents characterising the setting of this production. These accents not only helped to locate the play geographically, but also added a kind of unexpected menace to many of the lines. Iago (Steven Miller), in his matching shell suit and trainers get-up was formidable, and Miller commanded the stage in one of the best portrayals of the character I have seen. By contrast, Mark Ebulue in the title role was understated, quietly intimidating and beneath his intimidating physical presence demonstrated a vulnerability not displayed by any of the other male performers. This only served to add weight to the inevitable downward spiral caused by his jealousy, and made the final scene particularly difficult to watch.

If Ebulue gave us vulnerability, his Desdemona, played by Kirsty Oswald was refreshingly bold and strong-willed. This was a Yorkshire-bred Desdemona who would take no nonsense, and in her interactions with Ebulue, though a small figure in comparison, she more than held her own in a role that too often is portrayed weakly. The scenes between the central lovers were both touching and sensual, so much so that at times I felt that I was intruding on something too intimate for us to see. Mention must also go to Leila Crerar, whose portrayal of Emilia, Iago’s wife, was fantastic, particularly in the closing moments of the show. For me, her final speeches were almost show stealing, so passionate and believable was she in her delivery.

Overall, this really is a fantastic performance. This is Shakespeare reinvigorated, this Shakespeare that lets us in and helps us understand the story through a world not so different from our own, and this is Shakespeare that I could watch all over again. In fact, I may just do that…

This production continues its UK tour which will end at the Lyric Hammersmith in February 2015.