RSC Othello review - Timeless drama survives oddly bloodless production in Stratford

​There is an enigma at the heart of this play, and there is an enigma at the heart of this production.

Iago is among Shakespeare’s most sickening villains, and his refusal to explain his hatred is one of the playwright’s great dramatic masterstrokes. But this staging of Othello has a mystery of its own: how a show with so many strong components amounts to so relatively little.

The plot is quite straightforward. Othello, an army general and a black man, is married to Desdemona, a white woman. Iago, an army officer, detests Othello, but poses as his friend, gently sowing seeds of suspicion, which leads to destruction.

This production really ought to work. Othello is played by John Douglas Thompson, whose performances on and off Broadway have led to him being hailed as one of the finest classical actors of his generation. Iago is played by Will Keen, perhaps best known for television roles in Wolf Hall and His Dark Materials; he conveys a blend of mystery and malevolence with an almost disturbing naturalism. Desdemona is played by Juliet Rylance, who was nominated for a major award the last time she took on the role. The play is directed by Tim Carroll, who has achieved worldwide acclaim. Judith Bowden designed the set and costumes: the set is sparse and lit with great intelligence so as to show off the outfits, which are Jacobean and magnificent, and to lend focus to the performers wearing them. The music, directed by James Oxley and sung a capella, is beguiling and ritualistic.

Yet the production is bedevilled by bloodlessness, a strange sterility and occasional inertia. It feels at times like we are back in the pandemic: it is as if the performers are having to obey strict regulations regarding social distancing. There is a marked lack of physical intimacy between Othello and Iago; it is hard to believe they could ever be brothers in arms. Fights are muted and even solitary. Thompson's rather meek Othello seems scarcely credible as a military man, and then his jealous rage comes on with a little too much suddenness. Keen is compelling and magnetic as Iago, but there is no bonhomie to him; his sly and cunning are obvious, so Othello’s trust in him seems mystifying. The music lends necessary atmosphere but is underused. On opening night, during scenes that really ought to be tense and terrifying, the audience laughed, which suggests a failure in establishing an appropriate mood. In fact, for all the lauded talent on display, the strongest performance comes arguably from Anastasia Hill as Emilia, Iago’s wife, whose fury upon discovering her husband’s plot is earthy and bruising.

All this having been said, it would be unfair to call this production bad. Much thought and care have been put into it; perhaps a little too much. It looks fine indeed and there are moments of real drama. Perhaps it suffers a little in comparison with the many productions of great vibrancy at the RSC this year; this is a subtle and slow-burning thing, and it deserves credit for not imposing any ill-fitting ‘concept’ or thwacking the audience with any particular ‘message’. It does no harm to the play itself; and that play remains a timeless reminder that, for all our efforts, human behaviour can defy explanation.

Until November 23. Visit rsc.org.uk or call 01789 331111 to book​