The Lurking Place of E. Rochelle Potter
Othello (Michael A. Lake) trusts his Ancient, Iago (Kristoph DiMaria) implicityly.
Ohhh-thello...
In a previous installment of Mischief, (A True Shakespeareience) I shared how Original Practices Shakespeare, or “Shakespeare done right,” is phenomenally different from any other performance of The Bard’s work you may heretofore be accustomed to. Will Kempe’s Players, an Original Practices troupe from Troy, New York, demonstrates superb execution of this method. Their production of Twelfth Night had me laughing so hard I nearly wet myself! Yet despite this ability to bring unsuspecting play-goers to the brink of urinary incontinence, their performance of Othello invoked a wholly different range of emotions from the extreme opposite end of the spectrum. Make no mistake: this is in NOT to be interpreted as a bad thing!
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Othello is one of Shakespeare’s greatest tragedies. It’s the tale of a blissful union between unorthodox lovers, destroyed by seeds of unwarranted jealousy planted by the greedy and lustful ambitions of a “trusted” confidante. I’m familiar with the story. I knew from the outset how it was going to end.
Still, though they say forewarned is forearmed, I was totally unprepared for the performance that unfolded before me.
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Horrified is too mild.
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Things began light-hearted enough. Desdemona is witty and proud as she admits her love for Othello the Moor, despite the nay-sayers and even her own father’s disapproval. Her adoration is evident in her eyes and every mannerism. I found myself relating to her on a more personal level than I’d ever considered before now, especially as the show progressed. Dutiful…Devoted…Doomed Desdemona.
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Othello’s affection also rings true. He would clearly do anything for this woman he loves so dearly. Nothing is forced or overdone here. The tender gazes, subtle caresses, body language and synchronized energy between the pair lend authenticity to the relationship between these characters. Both players are masterfully genuine. Were it not for the scheming machinations of Iago, this could easily have been the tale of the happiest couple who ever lived.
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Vile Iago, who covets Othello’s rank and esteem as well as his wife (while callously and shamelessly disregarding the loyalty and dedication of his own spouse Emilia,) is artfully brought to life. He can be amusing by times, in a disturbing way, even almost likeable—a difficult feat when portraying a villain. However, any redeeming qualities he may seem to possess are quickly dispelled by his vicious lies and the tangled webs he weaves. Tricking Othello into believing Desdemona holds more than a platonic fondness in her heart for his handsome and amicable Lieutenant, Cassio; making his wife an unwitting accomplice by expressing such desire for a certain handkerchief belonging to Desdemona that Emilia delivers it to him, not knowing his nefarious purpose; playing Roderigo, the spurned suitor, like the proverbial fiddle, convincing him that he shall have Desdemona if he continues to go along with his game; craftily enticing Cassio to drink in supposed celebration more than he rightly knows he ought in order to lure him into fighting and disgrace. And while he fills Othello’s ears with filth about his wife, Iago pretends to be her friend as well! When Desdemona hugged him thinking he was helping her, I was revolted! The vehement speeches and devious expressions Iago delivers to the audience throughout bring us into the fold of his plotting as though we were his own trusted confederates—even if his actions do make us want to leap from our seats to throttle him!
And speaking of Cassio’s drunkenness, what a remarkably played injection of humor into an otherwise dark and unsettling tale! Now, you may be thinking inserting comedy into a play such as this a wildly inappropriate decision but let me explain why this assumption is incorrect. Cassio’s jaunty carousing brings you right into the revelry with him. You can’t help but laugh at his antics and dancing, (not to mention his incredibly well-done speech impairment!) Cassio’s merriment makes you feel good. You get swept right up into this atmosphere of carefree fun, forgetting Iago’s malice. When the fight breaks out the impact is tremendous. The laughter from moments ago ceases abruptly. The choreography of the fight flows well and the movement is organic. I found myself leaning forward in anticipation of what was going to happen next.
Shae Fitzgerald encourages their gamboling with some music
Cassio loses favor with Othello for his behavior and Iago continues his insidious whisperings to the Moor regarding the
Cassio (Nick Muscatiello) imbibes with friends (Angelina Castro & Mary Catherine Mahoney)
Much frolicking amidst Cassio and his friends
fidelity of his dear Desdemona. Othello becomes increasingly suspicious of her attempts to repair his relationship with Cassio and Iago ultimately plans with Roderigo to dispose of him entirely, resulting in another intense fight that gets Roderigo killed.
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Iago's lies enrage Othello
Watching Othello’s transformation as he descends into madness was quite literally terrifying. Sitting in stupefied awe as he suffers an epileptic fit from his overwrought conflicting emotions while Iago looks passively on; witnessing him succumb to a violent jealousy that causes him to lash out and strike his beloved wife, heaping abusive insults upon her when she is guilty only of loving him and wanting his happiness above all else. His rage is tangible; his murderous intent felt so real you could almost touch it and it was petrifying!
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Desdemona readies herself for bed during the final scenes, hoping to win back her husband’s favor, despite his abuse. She sings the song of the willow for her attendants, one of which is Iago’s wife Emilia then bids them leave, as this is what Othello commanded of her and to which she dutifully acquiesced. Othello’s final moments with Desdemona as she lay sleeping are a portrait of anguish. She wakes and pleads for her life to no avail and I watched in mortified silence on the edge of my seat, scarcely daring to breathe as he smothered her
When Emilia comes in and sees what’s happened she beseeches her mistress to sing for her the song of the willow once more and her performance was so heart-wrenching that the tears didn’t just well in my eyes but flowed freely down my face. I’ve cried at movies before but offhand I can’t recall another time when I’ve cried at a live performance, so bravo! Emilia exposes Iago’s misdeeds after realizing the truth and Othello slits his own throat. An unhappy end for all but it was SO GOOD!
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Their performance was riveting and left me haunted. After their final bows I sat there for some time still, just staring at the empty bed, mouth agape, thinking MY GOD! The tension lingered like a shock-wave.
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Something must be said here about the enormous talent of these individuals. An announcement that one of the players was given her role at the last minute, a mere two days beforehand, and that she would be appearing scripted did not detract from the show in any way. Any prompts she carried blended right in and she rose to the challenge seemingly effortlessly, playing her role with such confidence that had I not been informed, I would never have guessed! Seeing these same performers who formerly made me laugh hysterically become characters that made me cringe and cower is amazing. The level of raw emotion they invoke in this show is truly astonishing and one hell of an intense experience!
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By the way, have I mentioned that while any and all donations are graciously accepted, W.K.P. brings many of their shows to you for FREE??? Suggested donation is a trifling $20. I myself would happily fork over my entire paycheck if I could afford to! If you haven’t had the pleasure of experiencing one of their shows, do yourself a favor and DON’T MISS OUT!!! I am excited to tell you they will be doing Faustus at the end of the month. The final performance of this play about a man who sells his soul to the devil will be on Halloween night! How fiendishly delightful!
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For more information about Will Kempe's Players and upcoming shows, visit their website, willkempesplayers.com.
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