BWW Reviews: Devastatingly Competent OTHELLO Leaves Audience Out in the Cold at Maynardville

More than a century ago, literary scholar A.C. Bradley observed of William Shakespeare's OTHELLO: 'In the first half of the play the main conflict is merely incubating; then it bursts into life, and goes storming, without intermission or change of direction, to its close.' In one exquisite sentence, Bradley articulates the key to understanding how OTHELLO needs to play out for an audience. In this new production at Maynardville, under the Artscape Theatre Centre's production banner, OTHELLO should be a visceral and gripping experience for audiences who make their annual pilgrimage to Cape Town's historic open-air theatre. Sadly, Fred Abrahamse's staging of the piece fails to capture the accelerating spiral in which Othello finds himself on the way to his doom; this OTHELLO is a bland, watered down affair that is, at best, a devastatingly competent reading of the play.

Many who have passed through the South African education system will be familiar with OTHELLO: the play's dealings with prejudice and racism have made it a popular prescribed text in South African schools, where the relevance of Shakespeare is often debated. Also known as "the Moor of Venice", Othello, the black commander of the city's military, elopes with Desdemona, the daughter of Venetian senator, Brabantio. With a spurned lover in the wings and several other easily manipulated characters at his disposal, Othello's ensign, Iago, hatches a master plot to undo Othello. Iago sets in motion a chain reaction of events that will - as is the wont of tragedy - result in death and destruction. Iago remains one of Shakespeare's most frightening villains, one who relishes in evil for evil's sake and is content to be remembered for his villainy; his foil, Othello, remains the playwright's most human tragic hero, destroyed by urges to which any of us might succumb.

OTHELLO at Maynardville is characterised by a sense of being stripped down. Performed on a unit set by a small company in a set of costumes in a limited palette, this production appears set to get to grips with that which gives the text its timeless resonance. But the set, designed by Marcel Meyer, corners the action into predictable and repetitive staging patterns and the costumes, also designed by him, feel disparate, with conceptual cleverness overwhelming any sense of storytelling or the creation of a world in which the diverse characters in the play live alongside one another.

Even these challenges might be overcome with a cast that grabs the play by its throat. The problem is that almost everyone in this company plays it safe. Meyer plays an incredibly understated Iago, whose villainy remains superficial rather than becoming more and more insidious as the play continues. His soliloquies, which reveal his true character to the audience even as he pulls the wool over the other characters' eyes, feel more narrated than characterised. Opposite him as Othello, Muntu Ngubane disappoints in every aspect of his performance. While he looks the part, his delivery of the character's words is almost completely undecipherable and the development of his character non-existent. Melissa Haiden fares better as Desdemona, gamely struggling through her scenes opposite Ngubane, and truly coming into her own when opposite Nicole Holm, who plays Emilia with a sincerity and sense of journey that is lacking in many of the other performances on stage.

In supporting roles, Stephen Jubber plays Cassio sympathetically opposite a delightful Faniswa Yisa as Bianca. Yisa is also stuck playing the Spirit of Othello's Mother, a role created for this OTHELLO in what proves to be one of the production's major missteps. The character adds no value to the piece; in fact, its presence detracts from the action. The costume created for the character -with warthog-like tusks peeking out from what looks like leftover upholstery - is also an unmitigated disaster.

Roderigo is played petulantly, almost to a fault, by Nicholas Dallas, while Robin Smith is suitably blustery as Brabantio. Solid performances are delivered by Daniel Richards (as Ludovico) and Siya Sikawuti (as The Duke of Venice and Montano).

So many facets of this production of OTHELLO fail to come together and the responsibility for this lack of cohesion must be borne by the director. Abrahamse seems content to let the piece simply play out, failing to shape the action with any sort of dramatic tension as it moves towards its violent climax. The events of the play simply happen, without any rhythm or variation. Little of the directorial vision with which he has approached projects like THE MILK TRAIN DOESN'T STOP HERE ANYMORE or ONE ARM seems to infiltrate his OTHELLO, and this completely undermines Shakespeare's artistry.

This trip to OTHELLO was my first to Maynardville in some time. Half a decade ago, I decided that life is too short for bad Shakespeare, having found more rewarding experiences of the Bard's works in other settings outside of the park. This is a pity as the experience of Shakespeare under the stars can be truly wonderful. But 'the play's the thing', and without a compelling theatrical interpretation to engage one's head and heart, the audience is left out in the cold. Ah well, there's always next year....

OTHELLO runs until 21 February 2015, with full price tickets costing R120 - R180. Weather enquiries can be made one hour prior to performance on 079 742 0107. Picnic hampers can be pre-ordered from Four & Twenty on 021 762 0975 or info@fourandtwentycafe.co.za. Tickets for the show can be booked at Computicket or Artscape-Dial-A-Seat 021 421 7695.

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