Taking his first crack at directing Shakespeare for the Public's free Shakespeare in the Park, Ruben Santiago-Hudson has crafted an "Othello" that disperses the force of the hero's race and otherness.
Can “Othello” be “Othello” without the taint of racism? Probably not.
But can the degree of racial and religious bigotry attending upon Shakespeare’s powerful general be downplayed while still achieving the tragedy’s richness? Ruben Santiago-Hudson seems determined to find out.
Taking his first crack at directing Shakespeare for the Public’s Free Shakespeare in the Park, Santiago-Hudson has crafted an “Othello” that disperses the force of the hero’s race and otherness. Through a series of edits and cuts (Roderigo refers to Othello not as “the thick-lips,” but “he”; Othello does not self-reflectively observe “Haply for I am black” when ruminating on why Desdemona’s eye might wander; Othello does not fall victim to an epileptic trance) the production decentralizes the degree of social and internalized racism plaguing Othello.
This Othello is less of an outsider in European society, so the portentous cracks in his well-earned confidence are difficult to discern. The result is a proud, powerful general brought low almost entirely by jealousy and misogyny. These forces are prominent in Shakespeare’s script, but the rapidity with which Othello gives himself over to Iago’s manipulation in Santiago-Hudson’s version with a number of other factors stripped away suggests a precarious distrust of womanhood deeply imbedded in this general.
So it may be possible to mitigate racism in “Othello” but apparently not without emphasizing misogyny.
Sacrificed here, too, is plot continuity. Without seeing Iago provoking Cassio to speak liberally about sex with Bianca while convincing Othello that Desdemona is the topic of conversation, the great villain’s scheme proves less complex, and Othello’s victimhood to it less convincing (also, without this scene, Othello sounds like either a lunatic or a liar when he tells Desdemona that Cassio “hath confessed”). In the end, this Othello is more confident, less anxiety-ridden, less isolated than Shakespeare’s, but the result is a more precipitous and less empathetic fall from grace.
Still, if Santiago-Hudson’s decisions about the script prove injudicious, the directorial strength he has long shown shines through in the stellar work of his principle cast. Indeed, Central Park comes alive with a steady series of gripping performances. They come in waves: Corey Stoll’s cool, measured Iago haunts the opening portions of the show before Chukwudi Iwuju’s Othello emerges as an ominous, volatile force upon his commitment to Iago’s scheme. Iwuju and Santiago-Hudson combine to make the moment of transformation when Othello blows all his fond love for Desdemona to heaven brilliantly and frighteningly intense.
Once Othello makes his change, Heather Lind’s Desdemona shines forth in her stirring, defiant self-defense, the gradual failure of which at last provokes Alison Wright’s Emilia to emerge as assertive and righteous. Director and cast carefully and impressively craft a steady crescendo of excellent performances developing throughout the production, making for a breathtaking evening of acting.
On Rachel Hauck’s carefully and effectively sparse set with Toni-Leslie James’ attractive traditional costumes, this seems an “Othello” served as a straight-forward vehicle for superb acting. These components might conceal the script’s deleterious rendering that saps the play of much complexity. It is a less-than-memorable “Othello” populated by unforgettable acting.
OTHELLO
Delacorte Theater
81st Street and Central Park West, New York
Tickets: publictheater.org/Tickets/Calendar/PlayDetailsCollection/SITP/Othello-2018/. Running through June 24.
Patrick Maley may be reached at patrickjmaley@gmail.com. Find him on Twitter and Instagram @PatrickJMaley. Find NJ.com/Entertainment on Facebook.