BWW Reviews: Twin Titans Go Head to Head in OTHELLO at Pittsburgh Public

Who is Othello? The first thing people will usually say is "a Moor." Whether that makes him a black man, an Arab, or another nonwhite group from between Northern Africa and Asia, Othello is not a white European man. But who else is Othello- or what else? He is a master soldier. He is an epileptic. And he is all too trusting. Director Ted Pappas's production of the classic Shakespearean Drama may not feel tragic until the final moments, but it's an edge-of-your-seat thriller the whole way through, and with a darker, more modern sense of humor than many of his other tragedies.

Although the titular Moor of Venice gets top billing, the story of Othello is primarily the tale of Venetian ensign Iago (played masterfully by Broadway leading man Jeremy Kushnier), who schemes to cross and double-cross everyone else in his life. Why does he do it? Shakespeare leaves this intentionally ambiguous. He may be jealous of the successful Othello (portrayed with equal gravitas and dramatic flair by Teagle F. Bougere). He may be attracted to Othello's beautiful young wife Desdemona (the lovely Amanda Leigh Cobb). Or, as many critics have argued, he may just be a sociopath, out to mess with people for the sheer joy of deception and betrayal. Whatever his reasoning, Iago, the trusted and beloved friend of seemingly everyone in Venice, convinces Othello that his wife has been unfaithful- and worse, has been unfaithful with Othello's second in command, the young soldier Cassio (Paul Terzenbach). As the pressure on Othello mounts, between Iago's insinuations, Venice's racism, and the Moor's own epileptic seizures, he snaps. Bloodshed ensues, as per the Shakespearean final-scene tradition.

Teagle F. Bougere, last seen as the time-traveling Poet in An Iliad, stands out from the crowd with his portrayal of Othello. Though he uses no accent, and his diction and mannerisms are distinctly twenty-first century upper-class black American, his Othello still feels foreign from the rest of Venice, as well the character should. Perhaps it's his large, grandiose physicality, as he gestures broadly, leaps, shouts and waves his arms, either with joy or with rage. Or, perhaps it's the relative flamboyance of his performance when compared to the more rooted, naturalistic performances of the white Venetians. Either way, Bougere was believable as an outsider in the world he inhabits. His downward spiral from confident, even cocky, military genius to obsessive, suspicious madman gives the play a high level of suspense, particularly in Act 2 when the heat really turns up.

If Othello is the showier character with the subtler role, Iago is the subtler character with the juicier role. As played by Jeremy Kushnier, late of the Stratford production of Jesus Christ Superstar, Iago is everyone's best friend and worst enemy. Kushnier imbues the role with an unsettlng good humor- he knows he's a meddling psychopath, but refuses to see himself as the villain. With the friendly, dead-eyed charm of a post-Scientology Tom Cruise, and the smug internal monologues of a nineteenth-century Frank Underwood, Kushnier's Iago wheedles, seduces, manipulates and murders his way through Venice, to no foreseeable advantage. And yet, despite his loathsome behavior, you can't help but like him. Much like House of Cards, Othello seems written to make viewers root for the villain against their better instincts.

Many of the secondary characters, though well portrayed, feel more like plot devices than three-dimensional figures. Paul Terzenbach's Cassio, the alleged seducer, is a good-natured fellow who can't hold his liquor. His take on the character is a little looser and more comedic than many Cassios past, which works well with the fast-paced nature of this production. Amanda Leigh Cobb plays Desdemona well, though the role is no Lady Macbeth or Ophelia, and sometimes feels insubstantial, a bit player in the affairs of men. Giving the strongest performance among the secondary leads, Jessica Wortham's Emilia is sharp-tongued and clever but obviously worn down by her marriage to Iago, and the dramatic irony and genuine pathos as she slowly realizes the truth about her husband is masterful.

James Noone's scenic design, all wood and polish, and Gabriel Berry's ornate but rarely flashy costumes establish the setting of nineteenth-century Venice and Cyprus so ideally one struggles to imagine the play set any earlier in time than that. If Shakespeare had had a word for "thriller," this would be one. Alas, being limited to comedies, tragedies and histories (plus a few "problems") has labeled Othello as a tragedy, but this is no Hamlet, no Romeo and Juliet. No one is noble, no one is idealistic. And almost no one is safe.

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