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A special mention must go to the fantastic Tom Gill as he portrayed the wrongly accused Cassio, who had some of the most intricate moments of choreography in the show. First staged in 2008—and subsequently revived in 2014—Frantic Assembly’s reimagining of Othello is a bold and visceral piece of work. This direction (Scott Graham) kept us immersed in the action as they took us from the pub, to the toilet cubicle, to the outdoors, often only taking only one swift movement. It kept us connected with the story as it progressed — and this decision combined with a stage almost always occupied with the actors left no opportunity for the audience to be distracted. It mademe think, maybe Frantic Assembly should revisittheir policy of doing new plays and slip in the odd few classics from the early 17th century? I’d vote for Ben Jonson any time!
The action of the play takes place almost wholly in Iago’s world, where appearances, rather than truth, are what count. Because of Iago’s machinations, Cassio is perfectly placed to seem to give evidence of adultery, and Othello is perfectly placed to interpret whatever Cassio says or does as such. Throughout the play, Othello has been oblivious to speech, always sure that speech masks hidden meaning. Frantic Assembly are famous for their physical approach to theatre, and this is certainly the case with this production which is full of arrestingly staged sequences. During the opening minutes of the play, the relationships between the characters are brought to vibrant life through an intricately choreographed dumbshow which sees the performers propelling themselves around the stage. Not a word is spoken, but the world of the play is firmly established. Act 4, scene 2 Othello questions Emilia about Cassio and Desdemona’s relationship, acting as if Emilia is the mistress of a brothel and Desdemona one of her prostitutes. Othello denounces Desdemona to her face as a whore. Desdemona turns for help to Iago, who reassures her.Roderigo, protesting to Iago that his gifts to Desdemona have won him no favor from her, threatens to ask for the return of the gifts. Iago counters this threat by telling Roderigo that Desdemona will leave for Mauritania with Othello unless Roderigo can delay them. The best way to do this, says Iago, is by killing Cassio. Iago crudely informs Brabantio, Desdemona’s father, that Othello and Desdemona have eloped. Before the Venetian Senate, Brabantio accuses Othello of bewitching Desdemona. The Senators wish to send Othello to Cyprus, which is under threat from Turkey. They bring Desdemona before them. She tells of her love for Othello, and the marriage stands. The Senate agrees to let her join Othello in Cyprus.Scott Graham’s retelling of the classic Othello bursts with violence, betrayal and jealousy. Set in a run-down pub, rival gangs battle over what is theirs, and friends turn enemies as lies are spat and pushed around the group. Within this at times pulsing red pub a microcosm of the society Shakespeare created plays outs with loves and hopes born and torn down. Because Othello is all about the inner workings of the mind, the intimate Theatre Royal studio works perfectly for the York Shakespeare Project’s production. Othello and Iago enter in mid-conversation. Iago goads Othello by arguing that it is no crime for a woman to be naked with a man, if nothing happens. Iago then remarks that if he were to give his wife a handkerchief, it would be hers to do as she wished with it. These persistent insinuations of Desdemona’s unfaithfulness work Othello into an incoherent frenzy. He focuses obsessively on the handkerchief and keeps pumping Iago for information about Cassio’s comments to Iago. Finally, Iago says that Cassio has told him he has lain with Desdemona, and Othello “[f]alls down in a trance” (IV.i. 41 stage direction).
Think Shameless or This Is England; a bar with a pool table and a slot machine; bottled beers; everyone off their heads or on a short fuse in high-street zip tops, trainers, hoodies, stretchy sportswear and joggers. One long Friday night, full of broken glass, jealousy, betrayal, revenge and the darkest intents; a darker brew of John Godber's Bouncers, where the booze meets the bruise. Othello plays at the York Theatre Royal until Saturday 22 October when it continues its tour across England, finishing in early February 2023. Act 3, scene 1 Cassio arrives with musicians to honor Othello and Desdemona. As Iago has recommended, Cassio asks Emilia to arrange a meeting with Desdemona, even though Emilia assures him that Desdemona is already urging Othello to reinstate him.Act 2, scene 1 The Turkish fleet is destroyed in a storm, while Cassio and then Desdemona, Emilia, and Iago arrive safely at Cyprus. Desdemona anxiously waits for Othello. When his ship arrives, he and Desdemona joyfully greet each other. Iago, putting his plot into action, persuades Roderigo that Desdemona is in love with Cassio and that Roderigo should help get Cassio dismissed from the lieutenancy.
Othello’s obsession with appearances is the reason why he is content to watch Cassio’s supposed confession, despite the fact that confessions are heard rather than seen. He also turns Lodovico’s letters—which announce that Othello has been replaced by Cassio as governor of Cyprus in the same manner in which he believes Cassio has replaced him in the bedroom—into “ocular proof” that he is being supplanted. Lodovico’s arrival from Venice serves as a reminder of how great Othello’s transformation has been. As he stood before the senate at the beginning of the play, he was a great physical as well as verbal presence, towering above Brabanzio in stature and in eloquence, arresting the eyes and ears of his peers in the most political of public spaces, the court. After a short time in Cyprus, Iago has managed to bring about Othello’s “savage madness” (IV.i. 52). Othello loses control of his speech and, as he writhes on the ground, his movements. Othello’s trance and swoon in this scene present him at the greatest possible distance from the noble figure he was before the senate in Act I, scene iii.
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Cyprus serves as a contrast to Venice, a place where the normal structures and laws governing civil society cease to operate. Such a world is common within Shakespeare’s plays, though far more prevalent in his comedies. In A Midsummer Night’s Dream and As You Like It, for example, the forest functions as an unstructured, malleable world in which the characters can transgress societal norms, work out their conflicts, and then return to society with no harm done.
York Notes for A Level on Othello is the ultimate companion to William Shakespeare’s classic tragedy and will help you get to grips with all dimensions of the text. Exploring aspects of the work including the play’s genre, structure, characters, historical context and symbolism, this comprehensiverevision guide to Othello at A Level and AS will help you to write the very best examination responses and secure the best grade you can.True to the ever-popular Frantic Assembly style, Othello is alive with energy. House music envelopes the audience, drowning out all other sounds so we are instantly caught up in the world of the play. The tempo of the performance is set with a fast-paced opening sequence showing flirtations, fights, and power struggles, finally establishing Othello as the all-powerful, magnetic leader of men. Act 2, scene 3 Iago gets Cassio drunk, making it easy for Roderigo to provoke Cassio into a brawl, first with Roderigo, then with Montano, whom he wounds. Othello, called from his bed by the noise, stops the brawl and strips Cassio of his lieutenancy. Iago advises Cassio to seek Desdemona’s help in getting reinstated. The next step in Iago’s plan is to tell Othello that Desdemona supports Cassio because Cassio is her lover. The play’s hyper-violence throws a sharp focus on domestic abuse. The familiar setting means Desdemona is no longer a figure in a far-off country, but the girl you might know from down the road. Emilia is not her servant, but her best friend, and both have been abused by dominant men in a world where brutality is a way of life. Katie Macintyre’s Desdemona was sweet and guileless, with a true note of desperate horror, as she begged for her life.
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