06
11
2008
Frantic Assembly’s production
Posted by: tware in Mr Austin, Ms Ware, Othello, Uncategorized
Having seen the Frantic Assembly production of Othello, please write an analysis and evaluation of the performance. I want to know:
- What you thought of the portrayals of the main characters, especially Othello, Iago and Desdemona
- What themes and ideas you felt were brought out most strongly in the production
- What you thought the modern setting added to (or detracted from) the play and why you think the directors chose this setting
- What the production added to your understanding of the play
- What you learnt from the Q+A
Post your response as a comment on the blog, or write it in your exercise book. If commenting here, please try to respond to others’ ideas – agree or disagree… Deadline for Ms Ware and Mr Austin’s groups is Tuesday 11th November.
Frantic Assembly would love you to go to their Forum and post a comment too – find that here.
Look at the production resource pack here.
Entries (RSS)
November 8th, 2008 at 4:50 pm
I thought the portrayal of the characters were interesting although I thought that they were quite unoriginal. I thought Iago was really great however as his two-faced character was really clear which helped my understanding of his role as the villain. Honestly, I thought Othello was quite boring and lacked the presence I thought was needed for the tragic hero. Apart from that his character was a bouncer (which I didn’t realise till the Q+A…), I felt he was portrayed quite dully. I don’t think Othello’s power was really shown and he was quite 2D. His performance was not making me think about his character and just made me see Othello as a dull, boring man. However, the portrayal of Iago clearly showed the typical idea of a villain and showed how it is him that causes all the problems. The actor clearly portrayed Iago as a selfish character, not caring who he hurts on the way to getting his revenge and his poor treatment of Emilia. His character was gripping and made you want to know what he was going to do next. Desdemona, for me, was a very original portrayal of her as I did not expect her to be so flirty with other characters. I was expecting a young woman who simply followed around her husband and only did as he deemed acceptable. I think by having her in the scenes in the background helped our understanding of how the company had chosen to portray her by letting us see her interaction with other characters without dialogue confining how we should view her. Overall, apart from Othello, I think the main characters were played in a way that was really interesting and unusual whilst staying true to the regular notions of characters in tragedy.
The main theme that I thought was bought out within the performance was jealousy. The characters were constantly giving each other to be jealous, through sexual relations, through fights etc. I feel the theme of jealousy was used in this performance as a reason for everything to happen. It was clearly highlighted in Iago’s speech where he reveals that he thinks that Othello has slept with Emilia, and towards the end when Othello is in a blind rage with Desdemona and not able to listen to her or any reasoning. I also thought that the theme of passion was bought out very strongly within the production through the way the characters acted with each other and the way Othello and Desdemona spoke to each other. I felt that their dialogue was filled with romance but they also made it seem that they were in a very passionate relationship through their physical theatre whilst they were saying it.
I think the modern setting was a great idea. By putting it into a context that the audience understood, it made the language clearer and made the themes and ideas more relevant. I think the modern portrayal of the war as a gang war increased tension as it is a theme that we are all familiar with today. However, I think it detracted from the themes of love and jealousy, particularly between Othello and Desdemona. The fact that they were sleeping together in a scummy toilet and on a pool table made it seem less real and almost quite cheap which isn’t what it is supposed to seem. I think the directors chose the modern setting to reach a wider audience and make it more accessible to the modern society. I also thought, as it was mostly school groups, that it was put into a modern context to teach us a lesson; e.g. don’t be hasty, don’t act on rumours and don’t run around stabbing people.
The production added to my understanding of Iago’s character more than anything. It really helped to see the way he exited when trouble was happening and really showed him as a true villain. The way the characters interacted also helped me understand how the characters really do think that Iago is an honest character and how well Shakespeare has constructed his character to have so many different levels to him. It also helped me understand the genre of tragedy as a whole as it was helpful to see it happen right in front of you and be able to picture what it was that lead to it happening and what characters were mostly affected and which caused it.
The Q+A was a big disappointment as many of the questions asked were not very interesting and mostly to do with the dramatic elements of the performance rather than the literature. The one question and answer I found interesting was about how Othello’s race isolated him in the play. They explained that they didn’t make it a prominent theme but wanted to show Othello as a strong character and focus on other themes.
November 8th, 2008 at 6:57 pm
I thought that portrayals of some characters where interesting. Like Vicki I thought that the portrayal of Iago was very good and really helped me understand how two faced he was and why the other characters trusted him so much. I don’t think that Othello was very interesting and that he was a hard character to feel sympathy for I thought that he was way to quick to trust Iago and not listen to Desdemona. I thought that the flirty relationship between Cassio and Desdemona was interesting.
Like Vicki i thought that the main theme brought out was jealousy. Everyone was jealous about something whether it was in fighting or sexual relationships or love. I thought it was good the way they downplayed race in the production I thought it helped in keep with the modern setting.
I thought like they said in the Q&A that setting the play in a modern setting but still keeping the Shakespearian language helped especially younger audiences understand the language. I also thought that it was good the way they made it gang warfare instead them being in the army was relevent to today. And helped keep younger interested and get them to understand the language better.
I agree with Vicki it was very good for helping to understand Iago’s character and it also helped me understand the text better. It didn’t really help with my understanding of Othello, he was dull and overly jealous. It also helped me see how the other characters saw Iago as being honest and why they all trusted him so much and always took his word for it.
The Q&A wasn’t very helpful the questions and answers didn’t really help me understand the play much but I did think that it was interesting what the director said about they used the modern context to help understand the old fashioned content.
November 10th, 2008 at 6:44 pm
I thought that the best performance was by Iago because he best displayed the versatility of the character. His personality shift was very obvious, like when he was talking to Roderigo he’d be quite patronising. Then when he talked to Othello he would be a lot more respectful in order to keep his trust. I thought Desdemona was alright, but she didn’t appear as strong and independent as I thought she would have – she adopted a much more “damsel in distress” quality when she was around Othello. I though Othello was the most wooden performance and his overwhelming love for Desdemona didn’t really come across, however understandably the setting was more complusory so it didn’t have the over-the-top approach to love as classic Shakespearean versions do. I thought with regard to the power and authority of Othello he played it well, and dominated the stage when he was acting.
I think the play was mostly good at bringing about the masculinity of the play and the hierarchy between the characters, for example the superiority that Cassio has because he is Othello’s lieutenant. Then the honour Iago seems to feel when Othello passes that onto him after Cassio is dismissed. The masculinity was shown well because as it was physical theatre is obviously showed the agression from the characters very well. I also thought the setting was very productive in conveying emotions of the characters. For example when Cassio was drunk he rolled about on the back wall making it move in waves, showing his confusion and general unsteadiness after he’d drunk too much. Again, when Othello killed Desdemona he fell back into the wall making it seem as though the walls close in on him whereas the space around Desdemona gets bigger. This shows the effect that it has Othello and the shock he feels that he actually just killed her.
I thought the modern setting was good and bad for the play. It was good because it did help me connect with the characters because they were in a setting that I recognise. As it was set in a pub it was easy to establish that as the general meeting place between the characters and see it as a place for them to socialise. The war with ‘the turks’ was also easy to understand because the idea of a pub being the characters territory was so simple. The fact they only used two sets meant you didn’t have to get used to a new set and instead only had to listen to and focus on the characters. I think it was a bit confusing it being in a modern setting though because I felt I didn’t really get the impact of the drama of them crossing the stormy ocean that you get in the original play. I think the directors chose these ideas for the simple fact that it easier for a modern teenage audience to connect with the characters when they’re comfortable with the setting. I think the fact it was set in Leeds was neither here nor there and wouldn’t have made that much of a difference if it was set in London. I thought it was interesting though what the character who played Othello said, that because he had a London accent it showed how foreign he was in regard to the other characters.
The play helped me understand Iago’s character and quite how scheming and deceitful he is. Also the competitiveness between the characters. It definitely also got across the power that Othello has over the characters and just generally how much they respect him.
I didn’t learn that much from the Q + A if you’re not including how they got the blood effects… No, I just thought there wasn’t many questions about the characters, settings etc. There were a few, as I said before the point the guy playing Othello said about him being from London and not Leeds was the one I thought was most interesting. The rest of the questions were a bit pointless.
November 10th, 2008 at 6:49 pm
7 lines down I meant contemporary – not compulsory
November 10th, 2008 at 7:46 pm
I really enjoyed the modern production of Othello, it was definitely worth paying 5 pounds to go see!
I thought Othello was portrayed very strongly and he did come across somewhat as a leader figure, although since it was a modern setting it was more like they were all friends that hung out together then being soldiers. He didn’t seem to be the boss of everyone in that respect, although he did seem very respected. So this aspect of his character was present in the production. I didn’t dislike him but I didn’t find him very interesting and so in the end, although I knew he was going to die, I didn’t feel as sad as I may have if he had been more likable. I did not find the racial issue to be any issue in the play, because I think in a modern setting that’s not usually a problem any more. I thought that Desdemona was portrayed as less innocent than you can imagine her whilst reading the play; although in the play she does appear confident with speaking her voice, everyone talks about her like she is a little girl.. and in this interpretation the age factor didn’t really come up either- they seemed around the same age. They portrayed her as quite flirtatious and jokey with all of the male characters, as were all the characters. I really liked the portrayal of Iago because I felt he was easier to understand. When I was reading the play I had interpreted him as an entirely evil character, because you put together in image in your mind and a voice and everything- when you’re reading about a character- so my image of him was contradicted to the one in the production. I thought in one or two of the scenes he came across a little sad, instead of just being spiteful, which made it easier for me to feel sympathy for him and see him as more of a troubled young man- a side of him that i never thought of when reading Othello.
Yes, jealousy was definitely present in the production, and seemed the main cause for the conflict in the play. Instead of race or age being an issue.
Because it was in a modern setting I found it easier to understand then when I’ve been reading the play. Maybe this is because I’m seeing it happen instead of trying to imagine it, but also it is easier for teenagers to relate to young people and what they face instead of thinking of older people’s problems. So this helped me get a better grasp of what was happening. Even though I didn’t understand the language, you could understand the gist of the story easily and I thought it was interesting in the modern setting. I thought that dancing was interesting, and kind of funny, but it did help to add to the modern feel. I think the modern time period helped take away the seemingly smaller issue in the play, race/age, etc, and left the audience with the main reason for conflict- the jealousy of Iago and his scheming. The only issue I had with the modern setting was that, all the characters were flirting with each other and stuff, for the entire play- and so I found it weird that the kept the ending when Othello strangles Desdemona and then kills himself. In a modern time period, you would not kill someone for cheating on you, instead you would take less drastic actions- so I thought that the ending of the play didn’t really work in the production. I agree with Vicki, that the fact that Othello and Desdemona were just going off together to have sex like in the toilets of the dirty pub, took away from how deep and meaningful their love is presented in the play.
To be honest, I didn’t learn much from the Q&A because there weren’t that many questions asked that were relevant to things English students would want to know, and I could barely hear what they were saying because people were being noisy. It’s too bad it wasn’t a smaller question and answer session.
November 10th, 2008 at 8:02 pm
For the Othello play I think that the portrayals of all the main characters were very original and memorable. Iago was brilliantly portrayed as, not only as the devious and manipulating character the book suggests but also as a character who portrayed these feelings and motives direct towards the audience with the use of physical theater and direct address. Othello on the hand was a character whom was portrayed somewhat expectedly in the context of things. I found his character to not be as much of a brute as in the book nor as much of a cunningly intelligent character however he fitted in nicely with Desdemona who was played somewhat complete opposite from the image we get from her in the novel, but overall the on stage connection between characters worked very well.
The themes carried throughout the play were the themes of jealously, status, and control. The jealously being the jealously Iago had for Cassio (Cassio being chosen over he) and the status being that, in the times of shakespeare status in society was important and this play emphesises that. Lastly control being the control that characters have over one another and how control can change due to circumstance.
The idea of a modern play pub added far more of a modern spin to what is a simple storyline and made it easier to relate and understand what was going on. It did take away some of the contextual aspects however such as the many different scenes from the book. I think the director chose this pub scene as all characters in the novel are essentially socializing with one another despite some of it being negative and a pub scene is a neutral place where this can be shown.
The production allowed me to understand minor parts I did not understand from the novel however the Q+A session wasn’t quite as in-depth I thought it would be with some questions like “how did you get the blood to come out of your stomach like that?” irrelevant to me. I did however enjoy some of the actors responses in character development.
November 10th, 2008 at 8:35 pm
What you thought of the portrayals of the main characters, especially Othello, Iago and Desdemona
What themes and ideas you felt were brought out most strongly in the production
What you thought the modern setting added to (or detracted from) the play and why you think the directors chose this setting
What the production added to your understanding of the play
What you learnt from the Q+A
I felt the way the theatre production portrayed Othello and Desdemona was very strong. However in some cases it possibly portrayed Desdemona as slightly too strong, yet seeing as the play wasnt set in the original time, it somewhat fitted. Iago however in some places seemed a little weak. He was shown to be devious, but it didnt show the clever, and somewhat disturbing character that the book does. And that manages to get that across without the aid of any images.
The theme of betrayel and love was probably the strongest. The theme of jealousy, where Iago is jealous of Cassio wasnt as clear as it could have been. However betrayel is the most clearest theme as Iago’s treachery is clearly seen and emphasised by the frantic theatre and dramatic action sequences.
The setting was great. Im glad they didnt focus too much on street crime and gang warfare and walls marked with graffiti as this is tiring and too stereotypical. The pub was exciting and new, and made many parts of the play available and believable, for example; where Iago and Roderigo wake Brabantio.
Like the actors said at the end of the Q and A, seeing it will always be better than reading the play. As some things for a young modern audience no matter how intelligent do need clearing up. And yes it was a big help to see the production.
November 10th, 2008 at 9:42 pm
I thought Othello portrayed the characers of Iago very well, and clearly showed the trust and loyalty the other characters had towards him helping me understand how his plan worked so effectively. I also felt Othello was not shown to be as powerful as i thought would be, and also his love for desdemona was not shown to be as strong as in the book with him quickly listening to Iago, and the skilled speaker we get off him from the book wasnt signified in his character enough. I also didnt feel as sympathetic towards him in this. Desdomona was also different to how i predicted she would be, but her character fitted in with the modern setting, and it helped me understand just how vulnerable she was in iago’s messing.
I think the themes of betrayal, jealousy and love were the most significant in this production of Othello. Jealousy was explored with Iago being jealous of Cassio for getting the job and for believing Othello sleeping with his wife and Othello for being jealous of the affair he believed Desdomona was having with Cassio. Betrayal as Iago betrayed all the characters and Othello betrayed Desdomona while believing she was betraying him. All the actions revolved around the love for one another, friendship and romantic love, and each one got let down by the ones they loved the most.
I think they used a pub so that the audience could associate the language with a location they would be able to relate too, which would help them put all the action into context, and help them understand the language more. I think the use of the fights helped associate it with real life, and put the skaesperian language into a relevant situation so its easier to understand.
The production made me understand exactly how Iago managed to get away with it, and how he was able to manipulate all the characters. I think seeing it occur and how all the different characters react helped a lot in my understanding of the text, and i saw how each action led to another.
The Q&A wasnt as helpful as i thought it would be, due to the majority of schools being drama students i think so the questions being asked not being relevant to our studies, but it was interesting to learn why they didnt include race as a big theme in the play, but it was extremely useful seeing this production.
November 10th, 2008 at 10:41 pm
Personally, I think the portrayal of all characters were interesting. However, I really like Iago’s character within the play, as it has really helped understand more about him as the villain and to discover the reasons which led him to be the cause of Othello, Desdemona and Roderigo’s deaths. I thought Othello‘s character lacked heroic personality. I had higher expectation of Othello character, and to be honest I was quite disappointed. I think Othello didn’t really have the authority portrayed in the book and wasn’t really any different from other characters, he was just unoriginal. However, the portrayal of Desdemona clearly showed more than her typical loving wife side; from the character who played Desdemona I was able to see the other hidden side of her. She wasn’t as special or doted on her husband as she seems in the book.
The main theme used in this production was jealousy. This was more expressed by Iago’s character as without facts believed that Othello had an affair with Emilia and his hatred for Cassio when he was promoted by Othello. All characters were jealous at each; it was quite interesting to see the flirty relationship between them all.
I thought the modern setting was alright, and it wasn’t so great either but it definitely helped me understand the language in a more comprehensive way. I thought the dance routine was unnecessary but perhaps the director thought it would be good for entertainments. I also like the fact that they used gang warfare instead army as it makes it more fun to watch and it is very relevant to today lifestyle.
The production really helped me understand the play as I was actually being able to see the physical interactions of the characters rather than imagining. I also got a more understanding of Iago character as a true villain, manipulative and two faced. The Q+A was a very big disappointment as many questions asked were only based on the physical element of the performance rather than the literacy.
November 10th, 2008 at 11:04 pm
What you thought of the portrayals of the main characters, especially Othello, Iago and Desdemona
What themes and ideas you felt were brought out most strongly in the production
What you thought the modern setting added to (or detracted from) the play and why you think the directors chose this setting
What the production added to your understanding of the play
What you learnt from the Q+A
My main thoughts on the portrayals of Othello, Iago and Desdemona were all very different than what i had excpected .
From reading the text i expected Othello to have more of a role in the play. But i felt his role wasnt as strong as Iago’s and Desdemona’s role.
They portrayed Iago’s character as manipulative and bitter but also the way they made him connect with the audience so we could really understand as to why the other characters would feel the ability to be able to trust him but we also then saw the other side to him from a different angle being able to understand why no one would trust him if they knew excatly what he was like.
As for desdemona she came across to me as very flirty with the other characters making it seem as though she could if she wanted have an affair on othello but we also again saw another side to Desdemona , the side that loved othello very much we saw this because of the way she spoke about him to other characters.
Othello was not portrayed the way i would have expected him to be, i thought he would come across more of a leader and more authoritive but what i felt when ever he came on stage was not this.
He came across highly looked upon but no more than the others.
I didnt feel sympathy towards him any where through out the play as i did in the text.
I think the main theme within this play was undoubtly love. This was clear from the start as we could see the affection from many of the characters towards other characters . The idea of using dance through out made it easier to see and understand the affection being shown because we could tell what the dance was symbolising and like when othello and desdemona were on the pool table performing a piece we knew this was linked to the film and text of their night of passion .
There also was the theme of jealousy. Each character was jealous of something or someone. This created the set up for a tragedy . From the jealousy of each character we could understand as to why and where they tragedy would end up and what would happen.
I think the idea of a modern setting and play was good for our age range of audience i think it really helped me to understand the play alot more even though the speech was kept the same as the text . The way they perform was something we could relate to. Like using the pool sticks instead of swords fitted into the rest of the play and made it alot easier for us to visually understand and take in.
The production just gave me a clearer understanding of the story line. I think visually seeing something is alot better than just reading a text because u can relate back to what u had seen and link it to the text insted of having to visually create something in your head and try to use that.
I didnt really learn anything from the Q&A session thing because i felt people didnt ask appropriate questions to learn something from for english it was mainly question for dramatic use.
November 11th, 2008 at 12:10 am
What you thought of the portrayals of the main characters, especially Othello, Iago and Desdemona
What themes and ideas you felt were brought out most strongly in the production
What you thought the modern setting added to (or detracted from) the play and why you think the directors chose this setting
What the production added to your understanding of the play
What you learnt from the Q+A
i thought that the use of modernisation in the play was very useful toward my study of the play, and the way in which the characters were portrayed in the play was very interesting, othello’s character i think was shown as a very superior character, and that in the peformance we watched he was shown in both a good and bad light, which allowed me to understand his characeter more, this is also the case for iago and desdemona, however, in the performance i found that i understood dedemonas character a lot more than i have in the script of the play, and that these portrayals were done in a very good way because i feel that me and others can now undersant the characters and their positions in the story a lot more clearly.
In the modernised production, i think the theme of trust and deciet had most light shed on it, and that it stood out a lot more than other themes that are consistent to the play. i think trust and deciet stood out most for me as that is what the story is based on, plus the fact that these themes both come out of the idea of love, between desdemona and othello, and all the other characters such as iago. However even though the modernisation of the play brought out many themes, i do think that it had hidden some, and taken away the emphasis of some themes as they would not have fitted in with the storyline the director of the play we had seen, although i think this did benefit the audience and that the director had chosen the right themes to focus on, as the themes focused on (love, tust and deciet) are the main themes that we are studying, which will help me in my studies.
the perfomance of othello has really helped my understanding of the play as there was a lot more to relate to and the context of the physical theatre in the play made the content easier to follow and understand, so that now when i read the text i will find it easier to follow the story, making my study of it more easy going and more of a light read now that i have one less element to focus on. so overall watching the performance has benefited my studies.
the Q+A session after the play i feel wasnt as beneficial to me as i thought it would’ve been, this is because there were many drama students in the audience and a lot of the questions where about how the play was performed rather than its meaning and the characters place in the play. however even so i did get some extra knowledge out of it, and this will help me in future essays and work. however more focus on the literal side may have been helpful.
November 11th, 2008 at 12:19 am
My pre play opinions were quite unenthusiastic. I thought that the effects of bringing Othello into a modern era would degrade it. For example I felt like a modern version would never be able to reflect Othello’s status as a highly respected army general with him as being just a guy in a bar. I couldn’t imagine going from swords to broken bottles and a Cyprus beach to a London pub could ever work in showing the emotion behind Shakespeare’s writing.
However after seeing the play my views have changed considerably. The music, dancing, visual effects, and flexible stage all merged together making it really enjoyable to watch. The actors were able to excellently perform in a way that did clearly show emotion behind the words through rhythm and physical language. It was easy to follow because of this and was a lot more moving than simply reading the play out of a book. I particularly enjoyed the part when the dancing was adapted in a dramatic sequence of movements to show the fighting between Othello and the Turks. I heard a few people say that the first scene in the play was pointless and unnecessary although I thought it set the mood really well and helped to introduce the characters.
The main themes brought out most strongly were how easily paranoid and jealous Othello had got once Iago had placed doubts in his mind and the effects this had on the storyline. Also the sympathy we feel for Desdemona at the end because of how easily it is to recognise how wrong Othello is.
From the Q&A, with thanks to the silly people from the school in front, I learnt that *gasp* the blood wasn’t real and neither was the bottles! I was wondering how half the cast made it to the Q&A alive lol!
On a more serious note I learnt that both directors and actors put a lot of consideration into things such as positioning, music and expressions when rehearsing their lines in the classroom and analysing the play. They all appreciate and understand Shakespeare and his work which was the key to showing emotion and making the modern version work.
all in all it was well good!!!! thanks ms ware!!!!
November 11th, 2008 at 1:06 am
In the modernist portal of any Shakespeare play the key values are to instill the original views of the bard yet make the text and characters more appealing to a modern audience. In my point of view this was shown in the Frantic Assembly production of Othello.
The characters portrayed emotions that in the original script would have not been correct of the characters. This is shown with the effective portrayal of Othello.
In today’s society there is no clear divide between races where as in the Elizabethan era people of different ethnicity would have been considered very much an alien creature or at least a novelty. This was because unlike the present Britain was not a mixed place. Where as in the present adaptation Othello is sectioned out as the alpha male as well as the black man. Not only is this skill fully shown by the use of props, the black que, but he is also clothed differently to the other characters and is also from London not the north.
The characters that really stood out for me was the character of Desdemona. In this modern portrayal she mixes servility with the natural svvie of present young women. This would have not have been possible in the Elizabethan era this was because the women were greatly constrained by their lifestyle, this is not as clear in this adaptation which is effective because in modern Britain women have much more power than that of years gone by.
In my point of view the theme of desire and passion were the strongest themes that were shown in this adaptation.
the constant reference to sex which were shown in the dancing made the theme of passion very obvious as well as the spoken word between the character, such as Desdemona and Othello.
The theme of desire is clear as well in the sections of fighting choreography, this shoes the desire to win which runs through the whole play. Such as Iago’s desire to win one over Othello and Cassio, to the point of killing them.
The setting detracted the sense of tragedy from the play this was because the ending was not relevant to the times it was set. This was because in my point of view there would be no call for an apparent infidelity to end up leading to death. this is why i believe that at times the play was not as impressive or effecting as it could be if acted in classic way. However the director entertained the audience with the use of a very believable scenario, the pub, and the dancing kept the audience hooked until the slightly weak ending.
Hearing parts of the play has furthered my understanding to the formation of the text however because it was an adaptation and not the straight play there is not a full conclusive understanding. This is useful because it means that the audience, me, they can form their own options on the text and then back that up with the section that are known very well.
This in turn will not only help me to have an interesting and individual understanding of the play but will also make it seem more self exploratory therefore making the text more interesting.
Even though the actor who played Othello did give a very good answer on how the theme of race was a factor of his character, there was little useful with the Q&A session this was because most of the questions made were from drama students who would not have been studying the text in the same way.
However I was also partly to blame because i only came up with a usful question when the session was over, this was because i’m slow at digesting plays. Slow brain I suppose!
November 11th, 2008 at 12:02 pm
For me, Iago’s character was played the best. The way the actor was able to pull such a good two-faced Iago was very impressive, we were really able to see his change in his monologues and when he was left alone with Othello. Othello was also played extrememly well, what stood out for me were the ways he reacted to different characters. If not for the bad atmosphere because of others in teh theatre I think the way the actor played out Othello’s anger, hate and love was very good. I wasn’t as greatly impressed by Desdemona as I was by the other two, I think because of the way she spoke (which i did find funny – Northern Shakespeare) and the attire given to wear, we didn’t see the purity of her as we did when reading about her in Shakespeare’s words. With type of context used in the play purity would be hard to portray, but perhaps just the simple use of an all white attire would prove effective(?)
When thinking of a main theme, I would have to agree with Victoria- jealousy was definitely played out the most. We were able to see this in Iago’s monologues when he showed us how deep his hate was for Cassio and in the final scene when Othello murdered Desdemona with the build up in questioning her of her promiscuosity and his eventual uncontrolable rage, as an outcome of his jealousy. In addition, I thought the use of Hybrid music was very effective. It seemed very dark and created a lot of tension before it erupted when the violence of the play did too. In contrast, I also thought that the theme of lust was performed very well too. Especially in the opening dance scene, before Othello and Desdemona become all “lovey-dovey” there was a definite presence of lust for each other earlier on in the play. Not to mention that everytime Cassio came on the scene with a girl, the mood changed comletely into a more gritty setting.
The modern setting was used brilliantly, by being in a pub you have can easily introduce social encounters, being a relationship between two characters, a fight or just general talking (betrayal). However, because it was a permanant setting all relationships had to take place there and therefore the passion in the play looked to be detracted quite a lot. I think the directors used a modern context to help realte to the audience, it would still be a effective in a Cypriot town, but by setting it in a pub, the directors helped to include the audience further. Also, in realtion to the modern context, i thought that the way Othello had a black cue was quite effective too, just a small prop helped us to see Othello’s hierachy all the more.
I found understanding Iago’s jealousy and hate in the entire play helped me to get a good profile of his character, as well as the way he influences people. I also found Brabantio’s motives for disliking Othello easier to picture as well as Othello true rage.
Unfortunately, I didn’t take much from the Q+A, because of teh amount of drama students asking questions
November 11th, 2008 at 4:18 pm
I thought the main characters were badly cast. Because all the characters were supposed to be young, the age gap between Desdemona and Othello was too small. Desdemona was too sexual and no where near as ‘pure’ as she is shown to be in the original text, their love seemed to be built on their sexual desire in the modern version, this was not the case in the original text; Othello seemed more interested in Desdemona’s body than in her as a person. I also thought Desdemona was shown as too dependent on Othello; she did not voice her opinion as much as she did in the original text as they cut many parts out. When we saw her in the play she was either with Othello or talking about him, this didn’t give us a good enough view of her as a character. Cassio was awfully cast. He was not young or good looking enough!! Therefore the audience was given less reason as to why Othello would be tricked into Desdemona fancying Cassio. However, I think Iago was reasonably well cast. He was an average looking man that didn’t stand out too much and therefore could afford to be sneaky and manipulating.
Modernizing the play worked in some ways. The character of Othello did not work as well in a modern setting as he fit in too well, his difference in colour from the other characters was much less of a deal than in Shakespearian times. The actors tried to get over this hurdle by making him a Londoner in a northern pub, but honestly, I didn’t even notice his difference in accent until the Q+A when they explained why they made him a Londoner. I think this is a result of us now living in such a multicultural society that people with different accents or skin colours to our own are not rare at all.
The single setting was very restricting to the play. It took away the variety of different and exciting places in which the play took place; this made the play less interesting than the original text. However, it was useful in that it helped link the whole play together and showed all the characters within the same setting, this helped my understanding of them. The use of the pool table as a main prop used in almost all the scenes was quite clever. I liked the idea we talked about in class that pool is a competitive game; much like the competitive games the characters play emotionally with each other throughout the play.
The dancing was interesting. I think it worked at times, but not at others. It really depends on the viewer as to whether it was worth adding it to the play. For some of the audience members (perhaps the GCSE students) I’m sure it helped them understand the play and the characters slightly better as it showed their characteristics without the use of the, sometimes complicated and hard to understand, Shakespearian vocabulary. It also may have helped keep these viewers attention. For others that have come to see the play to understand the play in more detail (for example the a level students who have chosen to carry on English literature as a subject because they enjoy it), I think keeping more of the original text in and missing the long, drawn out dance scenes may have been much more helpful.
Overall, I think watching Othello on stage made it much easier to understand, even if I found it hard to actually translate what they were saying fast enough when they speak at a normal speed, their use of body language helped show how the characters would have said some of their lines and acted around other characters. It was also interesting to see how they had adapted the play to the modern setting, although I do not believe they did it particularly well. Therefore seeing the play was definitely not a waste of my time.
Thanks for taking us. =D
November 11th, 2008 at 5:21 pm
Personally i felt the potrayals of the characters in the Othello play were intresting and memorable. One of the issues i found with the contempary feel though was that the character adapted a new “role” it seemed in the play. Othello seemed more controlling, powerful and vicious, maybe because that in the play he was of the highest order, unlike the original play by shakespeare which expressed him as a skilled politician and although a very compelling figure of Venice he in no way was the commanding figure who was played by the Duke and Senators. Desdemona also was shown differently, almost looking like a bit of a tramp, and sexually beyond of what we thought of her. Desdemona was espiecally very needy of Othello. We know Desdemona to have a major infulence on Othello in the original that she can think and act on her own two feet and was reflected as an “innocent white ewe” which the play we saw didnt encourage. We didnt see no beauty, no purity and espiecally no innocene coming from her part which was a let down.
Iago was the major dissapointment for me though, he is still for me the key figure for Othello and if you dont get his character right you almost ruin the whole play allotgether. We didnt see enough of his cunning and witty mind, tricking all the other characters and using them as his pawns to do his bidding. We didnt see enough of his hatred for Cassio and i felt he wasnt as near as good enough as we see him to be in the play, mocking his apparent friends, humouring the audience and letting us see his vast dark mind and what it can acheive in the scheme of things. His character however did improve as the play went on i felt, and near the end we finally were shown a little glimpse of what Iago should be like espiecally during the assault on Cassio and Iago Killing Roderigo, we saw his evil and manipulative side, running away and coming back into the action, demanding to know what happened.
The themes of jealousy, love and darkness i felt were the strongest. Jealousy was the main theme i felt, it was good to see it was being used accordingly constantly showing the theme through their fights, their agurments and even through playing a game of pool. As most people have already commented i think it was a platform for the play and the reason for all things to happen. Jealousy in the play could be thought of as fate but in the modern tradition, humans being jealous by nature and therefore not being able to change the circumstances of the future.
The idea of the play being mordenisied and being set in a pub was actually quite clever. Firstly it gave it a clustrophobic feel which is also shown in the book when they head for war in Cyprus, and that the pool table acting as the centre of all the action was also quite good, being a game itself it somewhat cleverly showed the play as being a game played by Iago, also it made it much more easier to understand espiecally for a young modern audience of what is going on. I agree with Theo when he said that it did take out some of the contextual and cultural aspects of the book. The director was clever about the the pub and its meaning, obviously it helped the audience understand the play better, but becuase of the small space some themes were detracted such as we didnt see passion from Desdemona and Othello very often and when we did it wasnt a pretty sight being on top of a pool table. The idea of gang warfare was obviously used so we can relate to it and that its the modern version of “war” in most aspects. I thought though the use of different places wouldve been good and the street scenes i felt were too sterotypical and in someways not nessacary.
The production helped me understand the characters better and most importantly what i got from this which i didnt from the book was the extreme tension present in some scenes which i found very helpful for the overall picture. Physical interaction also supported the visual side of things and is always the advanatage over reading a book: you get to see what happens, not make your own interpretations in your head.
Finally and to end on a bad note, the Q+A session was a complete waste of time. Firtsly the characters were eating which made me hungry, and mostly becuase no one from our school could ask any of the questions. The ones that were answered mostly from the top deck were mostly about the special effects and the blood gushing out of Othellos stomach which i found annoying and pointless. Overall the play i found was nor good nor bad, but was at the end worth going just to get a visual image of the book.
November 11th, 2008 at 6:33 pm
I beleive all the characters where played very well, mainly Iago. By watching the play you can see emotions and tone of voice more, gicing a greater understanding of Iago and his character, especially when he is telling Othello he thinks Desomona has been unfaithfull and his monologues. Seeing the play also helped visually see how Iago is two-faced and how he gets away with it, aswell as using certain things to his advantage and how.
Otehllo was also played very well. The play being set in Leeds & Othello originating from London, made his character stand out as an outsider; putting aside he is the only black man in the play. However we did not see much of Othellos political and well educated man, yet more of a stereotypical 21st century man motivated by sex & fighting.
Desdomona to me was portrayed very differently in the play than she is in the original playscript. In the playscirpt she is a very polite, innocent and quiet young lady, however in the play she seems loud and common. When Iago admits he hates Othello and Desdomona was dancing on the wall made it clear how she would be involved in Iago’s plans and she would, in a way, be the key to Iagos success.
The theme that stood out most to me was jelousy. This was made apparent mainly by Iago and is present almost straight away when him and Roderigo discuss hwo Cassio was chose as Othellos Lieutenant. Iagos monologues and tone of voice also help integrate the themes of jelousy and hate and fuse them together in a sense when revealing his plans and who he will use to make sure he succeeds.
The main character to discuss when talking about jelousy is Iago, however all characters hold there own jelousy against another. Roderigo jelous of Othello, Iago jelous of Cassio ect.
Another theme that was very strong in the play was passion, with all characters flirting with each other getting up close and Othello and Desdomona always going off for their little bit of fun, made this theme very blatent and hard to miss.
In addtion, the way Othello and Desdomona where always sleeping together made me think their relationship was based more around sex than anything ?
The modernising of the play made me understand and relate to it more. The setting in a pub called ‘The Cyprus’ was very smart as the play is based in Leeds however the playscript based in Cyprus. This was possibly the only way inwhich the play could have been moderised whilst keeping the plays originality present.
The use of the pool table and arcade machine worked well, as the pool table was used both as a socialising area for characters aswell as giving the play a sense of levels. For example when Iago is speaking with someone (can’t remember who) he stood ontop of the pool table, giving the audience a sense of Iago is higher than a certain character and therefore controls him.
However the arcade machine is used to possibly make lonely or foolish characters stand out. For example Iago says he uses fools for his purse i.e Roderigo, and we see Roderigo use the arcade machine many times, aswell as when he is talking of his love for Desdomona emphasising his lonliness.
The scene with Emilia and Desdomona sitting in the toilet smoking was used very well, as it showed the bond between both characters and made it clear it was just them two speaking and whatever would have been said, would have stayed between them two.
I think the dance and physicaly theatre was a good technique to keep the audience engaged, however I feel it was there more for drama students more than English students, as we would have been concentrating more on language than drama techniques.
As for the Q+A section, I did not learn that much apart from the fact the play was set in Leeds.
Overall the play added to my knowledge of Othello as I could both see and hear how characters responded to certain situations would would help me annotate my playscript.
November 11th, 2008 at 8:33 pm
On friday we attended a modern interpretation of the play Othello in Hammersmith. Personally i believe that the production as a whole was entertaining and very appealing and understandable in contxet for a modernd day young audience. For me the character Iago was played the best as he openly twisted peoples words thoughts and action sto conjur thrilling action and fight scenes at the end of the play. Furthermore he did all of this in just the single setting!
As an audience member who could openly see Iagos plans which openly fioreshadowed unavoidable events which were tragically going to occur later on in the play i was strangely in ore with Iago.
I also beleive that Othello was well played by his actor and was portraye dextremely well through the modern setting and themes. Extremely well choreographed dances expressed and emphasised his individuality from the others in two different forms. In the opening sequence of the play there was no dialogue and just pure choreography in which Othellos differenciality was expressed and his powerful dominant role he had over the men and women! naughty boy. What i am trying to say is that with the modern dancing showing emotions and presence amongst the other characters the charcater of Othello worked very well with the modern scene. However even with his dominant presence and individuality the play still had that dramatic irony element to it as Othello completely gets sucked in by “honest Iagos” plans.
Furthermore the modern pub setting and northern accents for me made it more accountable and personal with the audience whic gained a better response. The use of the pool table and fruit machines took away the direct uneeded talking which i found helped with the understanding of the play. The pool table also helped with sexual connatations which were also used well in the play too. Mist importantly though i feel that everything being set in the same place made the tragic theme seam more realistic and believeable as you know that all the characters have been there and could be there at any momnet which helps with the biggest element in tragedy, irritation amongst the audience.
In conclusion the Q&A as funny as it was did not enlighten me or my peers.
November 11th, 2008 at 10:31 pm
What did you think of the portrayal of the characters.
I really enjoyed the Frantic Assembly’s production of Othello. I felt the modern setting helped me really get an understanding of the play. Although I felt some of the plays modern twists were unclear, for example it was not made obvious Othello was a bouncer, I felt the use of a pub was the perfect setting for Iago to mastermind his plans. The character of Iago I felt was played brilliantly. AS George said, his monologues clearly should his two faces. I was also impressed with with Othello’s character emotions were expressed well, and unfortunately, like George felt it was somewhat overshadowed by poor audience behaviour. I felt other characters such as Desdemona and Cassio played there part well, even though they were a contrast to the mental image of them that I had created.
What themes did you feel were brought out most strongly?
As most of the above have mentioned it is betrayal and jealousy are the two themes that stood out in this production. Having not yet finished reading the book, I was very interested in the way Iago convinced Othello that Cassio had been with Desdemona, and also the way Othello would deal with this news. Othello’s resulting jelousy is shown in the murder of his wife, and his failed plot to kill Cassio. Iago’s betrayal is best shown in his monologues, in which he describes his plans and intentions.
What do you think the modern setting contributed?
I felt the modern setting really helped its younger audience to grasp a better understanding of the play. I also really like the layout of the set. For example, following the discovery by Othello, that Desdemona had not actually been with Cassio, he falls against the walls of the pub, and they move around, representing his confusion and disbelief. The use of modern tracksuits such as tracksuits, may even have helped some of the audience relate to the characters a bit more.
How did this add to your understanding of the play?
I feel that going to see the play being performed really helped me understand the way the lines should be delivered, something that is not always easy when simply reading from a text. I also felt the music and dance also helped to give an idea of all the emotions that are in play.
What did you learn from Q and A?
The questions asked in the session were largely based on the shows asthetic. The actors described how the blood was created from capsules and pouches in their mouths and tied to their bodies. The actors also described how some of the scenes based around the pool table had to be improvised due to the characters not knowing where the balls would land.
November 12th, 2008 at 1:36 pm
What you thought of the portrayals of the main characters, especially Othello, Iago and Desdemona
What themes and ideas you felt were brought out most strongly in the production
What you thought the modern setting added to (or detracted from) the play and why you think the directors chose this setting
What the production added to your understanding of the play
What you learnt from the Q+A
I thought that Iago was definitely the main character that was portrayed the best, or as I had imagined him to be. He scheming and manipulative, but once again was able to convince everybody of his trust. I think it was interesting how he convinced Othello that he was the only person which he could trust and confide in, when of course he was the only person he shouldn’t, and that we didn’t get this ‘best friend’ appeal when reading the play. Although I enjoyed the character of Othello, I didn’t feel he had the effect or respect of that that I had previously imagined. I thought that the character of Desdemona did not represent her purity or innocence which Shakespeare originally wrote, and this was something that spoilt her character slightly.
Obviously in this play there are a lot of themes and ideas going on in between and through the characters. For Iago, he is plagued by jealousy for Cassio and betrayal by Othello. Othello is then jealous of Desdemona and Cassio. In lots of these characters we witness love and passion and also heartbreak for not only Othello, but for lots of the characters with lesser roles (eg. Emilia), Generally, I’d have to say that the main motives for the actions taken in this play were due to a feeling of jealousy and betrayal.
I think that the modern setting meant that the current audience was able to stay engaged with the play for longer, as they could relate to the settings and backgrounds easier. I think the use of physical theatre also enabled the audience to stay amused and have some understanding of what is going on, even if they couldn’t understand it word for word. However, I think that because it was set in the modern day, the clothes had to reflect this, and the clothes ended up not reflected the respect and hierarchy of the characters (eg. Othello – general, Desdemona – pure).
It helped me understand the communication between the characters and enabled me to keep up with what was happening in the play.
I do not feel that the Q+A helped me in any way except that I now know how they do blood (like Henry said).
November 13th, 2008 at 8:33 pm
First, I think the Othello play was very impressive from my point of view. The portrayal of the main characters were excellent but the most impressive was Iago; devious and manipulative character and with the use of physical theatre, the audience clearly saw his two faced side which we also see in the book. The chemistry between the characters was good and this allowed the play to run smoothly. I was impressed with the actor who played Othello, the way the actor showed Othello’s rage, frustration and jealousy was brilliant and in the book Othello uses the same actions, tone and sets the exact mood like the actor did during the play. I was disappointed with Desdemona; she did not seem to be as pure, fragile and delicate as in the book. It was as if she was a complete different character who is strong, argues and can speak for her self but overall I think the actors did a great job.
The themes that were created were jealousy, betrayal and hatred. The audience was able to see how much hatred and jealous Iago really had for Cassio. I think the music had a strong effect on the mood that it set; lot of tension was created at times. The setting of a pub added a new dimension to the play, it was unique and it was easier for the audience to relate and understand what was going on through out the play. I agree with Amanuel’s idea as pool is a game itself, for Iago the play was a game for him and was in control of it for almost all of it.
The Q and A did not help at all other than it was set in Leeds and that race played a crucial part in it. All the other questions where all on how the blood came out and if the bottles were real or not, these questions where asked about 5 times and it was wasting mine and others valuable education time.
November 14th, 2008 at 8:53 pm
I thought that the portrayal of the characters were very different to what you’d normally expect when watching a traditional production of ‘Othello’. Because the production was set in modern times, the characters had to be updated. For example, instead of Othello being a General in the Venetian Army he is made to be a Bouncer of a Pub. In some ways this worked because of the references to drink and incorporating the storyline by naming the Pub ‘The Cypress’. However what I didn’t think was put across very well was Othello’s high status. Because his character was a Bouncer the hierarchy between the characters could not really be portrayed as well as say in an Army situation; because of this I felt that Othello’s character wasn’t portrayed as ‘regal’ enough or heroic enough, and the air of nobility he should have had was not portrayed. I know that this would have been hard to portray due to the fact that the play has been updated considerably, but I think this was a key characteristic of Othello that was missing.
The character of Iago was portrayed in a slimy, seedy sort of way, which I think worked very well for his character. I thought that his ’sucking up’ to Othello then his revealing of his true intentions shown through his various monologues were done very well, and I fully believed in his manipulative, two-faced character. However I felt that the portrayal of Iago and Othello’s relationship was not as I would have imagined. I thought that perhaps Iago’s character was slightly too obviously scared of Othello, and would have shown less fear in such scenes as when Othello pins Iago down to the Pool Table. Although the fear worked in places, when trying to stay on Othello’s good side, I don’t think that it was a very ‘Iago’ type way of reacting.
A character that I don’t think should have been portrayed as so seedy and slimy, was that of Michael Cassio. I would have thought that Cassio would have been portrayed as the most ‘refined’ one, being more of a gentleman perhaps. Again, I know that this was a modern interpretation, but I feel that because of this modernisation certain aspects of the characters were lost. Furthermore, the point behind Desdemona’s and Cassio’s relationship, was that it was completely innocent, but the relationship shown in this production made it appear to me as if there really was something going on between them. To add on to the point made about Cassio and Desdemona’s relationship not being portrayed as innocent enough, I felt that Desdemona’s character wasn’t portrayed as innocent at all! I expected to see a soft spoken and respectable person, but saw a bit of a loud-mouth, over sexual person. I felt that this aspect of Desdemona would have worked well if we saw small snippets of this side of her, perhaps revealing more depth to her character, with her putting on a front towards her father at the start of the play, and progressively coming out of her shell as the play goes on. I though that Desdemona was just a little bit too much, and not innocent enough.
Certain themes and ideas that were put across quite strongly were that of jealousy, rage and passion. Jealousy was portrayed throughout, what with Iago at the very beginning spearheading the jealousy over Othello’s favouritism towards Cassio. However I don’t think that this jealousy really worked, because of the fact that what had Cassio to be jealous of? Is there a hierarchy of bouncers? If this was so, it wasn’t really portrayed very clearly.
The theme of rage is incorporated into the theme of jealousy, most notably with Othello’s reaction towards Iago’s lies about Desdemona’s fidelity. Othello became increasingly agitated and annoyed at news of Desdemona’s promiscuity, showing an obvious build up in rage.
Finally the theme of passion was also shown throughout, with practically every character! Every character seemed to have a love interest, all dancing very steamily with each other, with all the twists and turns. Furthermore Othello and Desdemona’s passion was shown the most, what with their escapades on the pool table, in the toilet and so on. Furthermore the public show of affection between Desdemona and Othello clearly showed that they were not afraid to declare their feelings, however I think their relationship was portrayed as lust rather than love.
As previously mentioned I think the modern setting worked quite well, what with the pub being named ‘The Cypress’ and so on. I thought that the graffited alley ways, and side streets worked well for the fight scenes and murders, incorporating the current epidemic in street crime and knife violence. This can be argued to allow a modern audience to be able to relate to the goings on, as unfortunately it is happening so frequently nowadays.
However as also mentioned before, I don’t think the modernisation worked in places such as Othello’s hierarchy in the play. Othello is meant to be a highly noted General in the Venetian army, with Cassio and Iago beneath him in rank. I don’t think this was portrayed a well as it could have been with the whole ‘bouncer’ situation. Perhaps Othello could have been the Pub Landlord/Owner, and Iago and Cassio were competing for joint ownership, or a promotion of some sort.
However, I did feel that an aspect that was not modernised enough was that of the handkerchief. This handkerchief was seen throughout the play, symbolising Othello and Desdemona’s love, however I don’t think this worked in a modern setting, as a lover wouldn’t give a handkerchief as a token of affection. Perhaps this couldn’t have been updated to a ring or other piece of jewellery. Or Perhaps there is some way in which the handkerchief can be cleverly updated, like in the case of Baz Lurhman’s ‘Romeo and Juliet’, in which he updated the swords to guns which where named ‘Swords’.
The production helped my understanding of the play, as it helped me understand the relationships between the characters much more. When reading the play I found that although Othello and Desdemona’s passion was quite obvious through the way they addressed each other etc, seeing them react with one another made it more believable and realistic. Furthermore Iago and Emilia’s relationship, and Desdemona’s and Emilia’s relationship were also brought out much more. You could really believed that Emilia and Desdemona were friends, with the ways in which they acted with each other. Furthermore Iago’s seedy side was brought out with the ways in which he acted with Emilia, pulling her passionately towards him to kiss her etc.
Firstly I was really disappointed that the actors playing Othello and Desdemona were not present at the Q&A (Drama trip), as I felt that a lot more questions would have been asked if they were. However, students from other schools asked very good questions, most notably towards the director or the artistic directors, (I think that’s what they were). Such questions included the inspiration and technology behind the incredible moving set. We found out that the set design was a collaborative decision, with the set designer wanting to make the set easy to move and manipulate, and the directors wanting to be able to be able to physically show such situations as Cassio being drunk, with the walls moving back and forth to represent his drunkenness. Furthermore we found out that the manoeuvring of the set was simply done by three people backstage, supporting the walls whenever needed, such as in the case of people being pinned or thrown up against walls.
Other questions weren’t very academic, but proved to be very interesting, such as the most gruesome injury sustained whilst performing ‘Othello’. Once of the characters told us about how on the second night that the show had been opened, he was thrown against a wall, which was part of the show, but hit his head on a chalkboard hanging on the wall, causing him to need 7 stitches!
To conclude, I would just like to say that I really enjoyed the performance, and thought that the modern interpretation worked very well, but in places lacked my understanding of certain decisions made, such as the reason behind Othello was a bouncer, or why the handkerchief wasn’t updated to a more contemporary item. Furthermore I really enjoyed the dancing and physical theatre, and thought that this worked particularly well with the fight and chase scenes, and reminding me slightly of the fight scenes from ‘West Side Story’. Moreover I thought the set was brilliant, and the idea behind the moving walls and rotating pool table to show that the tables had really turned for scenes between Iago and Othello, and also Desdemona and Othello.
November 16th, 2008 at 7:49 pm
Thank you all for your comments – I’m just responding to my own group below, but have enjoyed reading everyone’s responses to the production. I’m really glad you all enjoyed it.
It’s interesting that Vicki comments on how the passion between characters was shown in the physical theatre yet at the same time found the sexual elements actually cheapened Othello and Desdemona’s relationship. It’s open to interpretation whether the original play is also quite sexual in its own way, or whether only Iago adds this element. Certainly, even in the original text, Iago is a very crude, sexualised character. I had a sense that Frantic Assembly were showing many things through the prism of Iago’s views and desires. But I agree that there is a purity seen in Othello and Desdemona’s love that was perhaps absent in this production.
Megan and others also commented on how seedy Cassio was. I guess again it’s open to interpretation – in general I agree that Cassio is presented as a gentleman in the play, but it would be easy to say many of his lines with an air of flirtation – and after all, Iago must have some reason for feeling he is a person that could inspire jealousy. Who would you be more jealous of – a genuinely respectable person or a bit of a flirt? Which interpretation you choose could depend on how far at fault you want Othello to seem for falling for the trick.
I’m glad that almost all of you commented on how useful you found it in understanding Iago – I think it’s vital to the success of Othello that we can see why characters might be convinced by Iago’s show of friendship.
With reference to the debate over the ‘first scene’ that Laura mentions, I assume you mean what Frantic Assembly call the ‘overture’ at the start, with music and movement but no dialogue. They say in their resource pack (available by following the link on the post above) that because they condensed the play to just under half the length in terms of dialogue, they needed something to show the relationships between characters without all the exposition. For example, a few of you commented on Othello’s race not being an issue at all, but did any of you notice how when he first entered, in this section, everyone turned to look at him? This was a subtle way of showing the racial tension that did exist.
George, you mention Desdemona’s lack of purity and others also cover this (e.g. Jerome, Tutku, Megan). George mentions the use of an all-white top, but did you notice that in the final scenes, she was wearing a white hoodie over her pink top? I think that was probably meant to be symbolic. George noticed the black cue – did anyone also notice the symbolism of Iago suggestively throwing a white cue ball in the air as he tried to poison Othello’s mind with ideas that Desdemona’s love for him was ‘unnatural’?
I hope that you will all be able to use the discussion here about different interpretations to extend your ability to hit AO3 in looking at different interpretations. A performance is an interpretation so, as you watch other versions on film and as you construct your own views, bear this in mind and try to discuss different interpretations in your essays and re-creative pieces.
November 16th, 2008 at 11:01 pm
1.What you thought of the portrayals of the main characters, especially Othello, Iago and Desdemona
2.What themes and ideas you felt were brought out most strongly in the production
3.What you thought the modern setting added to (or detracted from) the play and why you think the directors chose this setting
4.What the production added to your understanding of the play
5.What you learnt from the Q+A
1. I think that Frantic Assembly managed to portray the Shakespearian play well in a modern day world as I thought it the Shakespearian language and the modern day setting would work well however I was proved wrong. I thought the portrayal of Iago was played fantastically. The main reason for this is we saw his blatant deception and the two sides of him, one which was Othello’s loyal friend and the other where he wanted nothing more than to hurt Othello in any way he could. I thought the monologues were performed perfectly and they really helped us get an insight to Iagos character and his scheming ways. I thought Othello’s character was played well and his obliviousness to Iagos scheming was shown fantastically. I also thought his love for Desdemona was portrayed really well and that the physical theatre showed his undying love perfectly.
2. I think the two main themes that were brought out most strongly in the play were love and jealousy. I think the love was definitely a main theme in the play as it was the cause for almost all the events in the play, for example, the deaths of Rodrigo and Desdemona and Othello. Othello’s love for Desdemona was a key point to the play and their love for each other was portrayed fantastically, their love for each other was shown so well. I think the use of physical theatre also made it a lot clearer for the audience and it was an easier way to show the characters love for one another. The second theme was the obvious one of jealousy; I chose this as mostly all of the characters are jealous of someone or someone’s relationship with someone which causes a major event in the play.
3. I think that the modern setting worked really well. It showed a young modern audience what the play would have been like if it was set in the 21st century. Young people who have read the play will all say it was a very hard play to understand and examine but with it being brought into modern times which we are familiar with it is a lot easier to relate to. I also like they way they modernized certain parts, for example instead of the Turkish fleet being on boats they were in a car instead or for example the snooker cues representing the swords.
4. They production helped my understanding of the play as it made it a lot easier to depict exactly how each character would react in situations and I also found it was a lot easier to understand when it was demonstrated in a modern setting and surrounding. It also helped me to understand how Iago got away with his whole plot against Othello as I found it hard to understand how he managed to come up with his plan and carry it out.
5. I didn’t learn much from the question and answer session as the question that were asked were based more on the drama of the play rather than the content and literally side.
November 19th, 2008 at 11:25 am
Frantic Assembly’s production of ‘Othello’ felt – I believe – slightly forced. The jarring mixture of the original text in a contemporary setting managed to alienate Shakespeare purists (like myself) whilst simultaneously overwhelming those who aren’t fluid in Shakespearean. It could be argued that the contemporary setting makes the social standing of the characters and the significance of events more obvious – but how difficult could it be to decipher?
In terms of characterisation: I was pleased to see Iago’s role hadn’t been altered much and he remained the dastardly, devilish, devious puppet-master that Shakespeare portrayed him as. The actor who played him successfully conveyed his seething, yet concealed hatred of Othello and his patronising demeanour towards Roderigo.
On the subject of Othello: I found Othello’s portrayal to be patronising; his London-roots flag up a racial element that was otherwise downplayed in the Frantic Assembly production and – like the conversion to the present, itself – felt forced.
Desdemona seemed inconsistent. In the original play, she was the daughter of a highly respected man in Venice and though in the contemporary version she portrayed this very well at times (namely the comforting of Cassio and when she professed her love for Othello to her father), she otherwise seemed unsure whether to keep in the role of the upper-class, perpetual debutante or take on the role of the cliché, stereotyped, north England ‘slapper’. All in all the characterisation could have been closer to the text, but if it gets kids into Shakespeare then whatever.
The theme of jealousy found present in the play is the most blatantly overstated in the modern production; all the other themes of cuckoldism on Iago’s part, racial tension and social standing took a back seat to Iago’s blind jealousy of Cassio and hatred of Iago. Quite frankly it made a bit less sense in the modern setting, too. What was he jealous of? Being Othello’s ‘best mate’ or something? There are no lieutenants in a pub.
I was looking forward to the question and answer section. I was going to be able to ask why they chose to omit – or at the very least downplay – the role of the senators and duke (I think that bald fellow who was always around was the duke). I would have liked to hear the directors response.
The director didn’t ask me.
Instead the director asked a ten year old if he had any questions about ‘Offewwo’. Not to mention the question on how ‘dey made it look like he wuz bleedin’. I could have answered that! The interesting question from the start on the racial element (I have already covered what was covered in the question) was the only interesting question but only the first interesting answer. When the director was asked about the use of dancing – I thought this question a little fruitless – the director surprised me with the response that it acts as a visual poetry to represent the beauty and lyrical nature of Shakespeare’s silver tongue.
It was a bit tacky, though, wasn’t it?
November 19th, 2008 at 4:12 pm
The play we recently saw portrayed the main characters both in an abstract and unique way really making the production it’s own. I liked Iago’s sinister and brutal outtake on the situation he was placed in and often that direct message he sent to the audience really enhanced on what we knew from him already. The portrayals I dislike were both Desdemona and Othello as there relationship was a far more sexual one which reflected opposite for what we already know of Desdemona (the idea of her innocent personality.)
I think the themes presented were very similar to that of the novel. The idea of status amongst others and position in society. Jealously and greed often became apparent as Iago was the general links towards those themes.
The modern settings had a two-sided effect on me. I liked this social scene (which includes the items within) but the weak use of space hinted that possibly they were doing too much in this one setting. I didn’t like the dancing
I already understood the play very clearly but the modern scenario reiterated the characters personality more rather than understanding.
The Q+A wasn’t quite helpful however the actors spoke well of the links between new and old; also why they chose to portray there characters in a certain way.
November 24th, 2008 at 11:10 pm
From seeing the play, I felt my understanding of Othello had improved much – so the play had achieved one of its aims in giving a modern audience a good understanding of Othello (as the director said in the Q and A after the production). The dialogue hadn’t changed – but the way the cast acted and the way the scenes flowed was done excellently – even in the scenes we hadn’t studied in class, I had a clear understanding of. This was done by the actors using body language effectively – for example, with one of Iago’s monologues to the audience, he stood triumphantly on the top of the snooker table and spoke down to the audience, giving his words much more impact. So this is one area in which I felt the cast excelled at.
The theme I feel was conveyed most effectively was Iago’s deceit, This might have been because it was frequent throughout the entire play and apparent in just about every scene in which he was present, though I’d say a lot of it could be put down to the actor’s competency.
However, I had one problem with a different theme in the production: the love between Desdemona and Othello. I thought it was over too quickly and Othello seemed extremely quick to push her away. The scenes showing love between them were good; however, I don’t think there was nearly enough of them to actively convey the emotion. Furthermore, I think that Othello’s immediate mistrust of her from just a few words from Iago was putting too much emphasis on showing Iago as a manipulative character, and forgetting that this is a tragedy; the audience has to feel sorrow from the break up of the two characters, and it didn’t really do it for me.