Miriam Gillinson
posted 1 June 2007

Apparently during the 18th Century, Othello was used to gauge the greatest stage-actor of the time. The reigning champion would play Othello, with the young pretender taking on Iago. If this competition was staged at the Globe today, Tim McInnerny’s Iago would win hands down. McInnerny turns in a spirited, intelligent and surprisingly likeable performance. He breathes new life into certain passages, whilst also finding great comic potential in his role. He’s the life-blood of this solid production which, though lucidly performed and cheekily directed, offers limited insight into the play or its central concerns.

Director Wilson Milam wisely opts to do very little with the Globe stage. The stage business is kept to a bare minimum, with only key props and status symbols used to illuminate the scenes. This symbolic approach is a good option at the Globe, which stubbornly resists most designers’ attempted transformations. As such, it’s left largely to the actors and Shakespeare’s text to bring the play to life. Milam’s unobtrusive directing really gives the language space to breathe. The director and his actors make some interesting discoveries as a result. I never realised quite how disturbing Brabantio’s (John Stahl) behaviour is towards Othello, after discovering his daughter’s married him. Three times Brabantio insists that Othello must have effectively drugged Desdemona into accepting his proposal (‘[he] practised on her with foul charms’). His hatred for this black man really shines through – and makes for uncomfortable viewing.

Milam’s understated directing means it really falls to the actors to win over the audience. This is why McInnerny – with his keen sense of comic timing and light touch – proves such a success. His Iago is also the most real character on-stage. McInnerny pulls off an intelligent reading of Iago – in other words, he makes Shakespeare easy to understand. He also holds himself differently to a lot of the Globe actors; really walking, talking and reacting like a modern day man. Basically, he seemed to be genuinely enjoying himself on stage. This liveliness lends itself particularly well to Iago’s scenes with the rich, love-sick and faintly ridiculous Rodrigo (Sam Crane). The two actors create a fresh and rewarding on-stage dynamic, with the audience anticipating and relishing their moments together. Their scenes proved some of the most entertaining and enlightening of the first half.

Oddly enough, the play’s energy drop as we race towards Desdemona’s death. In particular, the scenes between Othello (Eamonn Walker) and Iago lack any real bite. This is partly because of the way their relationship is established earlier on. Director Milan really emphasises an initial distance between Iago and Othello: in the first half of the play they’re often on opposite sides of the stage. Iago is depicted as an appendage to Othello’s life – a useful if rather distracting assistant. It’s an interesting interpretation and hints that Iago’s actions are prompted in part by a need to be noticed. Nevertheless, in practical terms this means Iago and Othello spend a relatively short time on-stage together. Given little chance to establish any real chemistry, their later encounters fall a bit flat.

It’s not only in his scenes with Iago that Othello fails to convince. Walker’s performance is indeed gentle and lyrical in parts, but pretty overstated in others. After learning of Desdemona’s ‘infidelity’, he actually writhes around the floor in agony whilst screaming out ‘O devil’. Admittedly it’s there in the text - ‘[he] falls in a trance’ - but there are good ways and bad ways to this. Overall, I found his performance frequently forced and verging on the over-dramatic. Nevertheless, Walker does find some captivating moments and he has the ability to speak Shakespeare very beautifully indeed. Early on, when questioned about his feelings for Desdemona, Walker positively sings Shakespeare’s delicate lines. (‘She gave me for my pains a world of sighs.’)

A smart and faithful look at Othello then, if not particularly probing or immediately relevant. As the audience filed out, I heard various mutterings about Shakespeare being ‘an acquired taste’. Though I strongly disagree, I still think the Globe has a real part to play in quashing such misconceptions. This was indeed a competent and at times soulful version of Othello. However, more work needs to be done to push the boundaries of such productions, within this theatre’s otherwise experimental and surprising season line-up.

Till 19 August 2007