Othello, Shakespeare Theatre Company

The tragic arc of Othello is a notoriously difficult one to stage. Over the course of the play, we watch the machinations of Iago (Ben Turner) manipulate a newly married Othello (Wendell Pierce) into doubt, then certainty, then murderous intent and action against his wife. We watch Desdemona (Olivia Cygan) herself act in utter ignorance of the poisoning of her husband's mind against her until the end, when even as she understands the danger she is in, she walks into that danger and forgives her husband entirely. We don't even truly understand why Iago feels so compelled to take down Othello, beyond his proclaimed hatred for the man (yes, he says at one point it's because there are rumors Othello slept with Iago's wife, but that simply isn't explored in any depth).

Ben Turner and Wendell Pierce in Othello at Shakespeare Theatre Company. Photo by Teresa Castracane.

In the hands of Simon Godwin at the Shakespeare Theatre Company, these issues fester into a disconnected production that wants to be more than it actually achieves. Again and again, actors share the stage but do not seem to fully connect with each other even as they volley dialogue back and forth. Wendell Pierce's Othello seems so contained as to lack dynamism, and his decision to murder Desdemona in retribution for her presumed affair with Cassio feels unearned. Turner rages and storms about the stage as Iago, but it's Lucas Iverson's Cassio that has the clearest emotional arc of the production. Even the always excellent Melanie Turner as Emilia can't pull the production into cohesiveness; her reticence and resentment of Desdemona early in the play is fascinating as she watches and reacts to other characters, but then her passionate defense of Desdemona doesn't make sense in the final scene as a direct result. 

I think I may be the outlier on this production, based on others' reviews, but for me, I couldn't help but leave wondering why it felt like too many scenes featured actors who weren't even looking at each other. The characters in Othello could solve their problems if they just talked to each other; I shouldn't have the same complaint about the actors sharing the same scenes.