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Othello

Published Thursday 23 April 2009 at 11:05 by Andrew Blades

In 2007, Creation staged Hamlet in the exercise yard of the old Oxford prison, an Elsinor of extraordinarily atmospheric grimness. This new Othello sees them get the venue spot-on again. The shadowy austerity of a city centre Baptist church brings Shakespeare’s central themes into stark relief - the precariousness of faith, the interplay between darkness and light, and the question of whether Iago has any moral compass at all. It makes for chilling, spine-tingling theatre.

The actors clearly relish this spectral space. Creation has a some-time fondness for props and gimmicks, but Charlotte Conquest has set this aside to let the characters breathe and the performances are some of the best ever from this company. It is hard not to fall in love with Ffion Jolly’s Desdemona - seldom are her lines delivered so naturally and they flow with as much ease as her floral-print dresses.

Victor Power’s Othello is a perfect match - he radiates nobility, tenderness and, finally, dignity in the face of damnation. Iago, usually the star of the night, has tough work to do in trumping the Moor and his wife, but Richard Kidd completes the trio of excellent leads with a virtuoso study in corrosive Machiavellianism. He barks and coos, ministers and damns - and despite being played as a balding Yorkshireman with a sniffing tic, he equals and even surpasses the others for sexual allure.

This Othello is one of Creation’s strongest productions to date and a great opening salvo in their 2009 season. It comes highly recommended.

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