I’ve been an appreciator of the theatrical arts for as long as I can remember, and I have a habit of picking apart and analyzing shows even when I’m not reviewing them (much to the chagrin of those near and dear to me). Yet, after seeing Shakespeare’s Othello at the Phoenix Theatre last night, I have come to terms that because this play is such a wild card, an analysis of it is a task that would leave Sigmund Freud curled up in a ball on his couch.
The play is a tragedy, and the plot is vengeful. The characters of Othello are wonderfully imperfect, as human beings are. Tallas Munro is a convincing Othello: in love, easily swayed, insecure. Ciaran Volke plays a scheming Iago; Una Rekic is Michael Cassio, a “cry into my beer” character. Grace Fedorchuk needs a mention as Emelia—she sports so much feeling and fervour in her Shakespearean dialogue that I wanted to take her out and have her fend off my enemies.
The performance itself is a work of beauty. The costumes (designed by Emily Friesen) are black and white, symbolizing the play’s themes of racism. The actors are draped in silk and leather; the clothes move and ripple in whichever direction the actors do—in short, they’re stunning. The set (co-designed by Conor Farrell and Logan Swain) is symbolic as well, using a gigantic white silk veil that is periodically turned, twirled, and folded—revealing new sets underneath as if by magic. I take the meaning behind the veil to represent innocence, which is alive and thriving at the beginning of the performance when Othello and his new bride are in love and full of hope. But as the story progresses, a revenge-seeking Iago does everything he can to spoil their happiness, and he succeeds.
Othello is fascinating, and is full of issues still relevant today—it tackles subjects relating to racism, sexism, and classism—yet underneath it all is an underlying message: we as human beings may be passionate, but we are also stupid, and if we let common petty feelings like jealousy control us, then we’ll screw up what’s really important. I don’t think I need to tell you what that is.
Othello
Various times, until Saturday, November 23
Various prices, Phoenix Theatre, UVic
($16 student rush tickets 30 minutes before every show)
finearts.uvic.ca/theatre/mainstage