Othello – Northern Stage, Newcastle

Writer: William Shakespeare

Director: Anthony Almeida

Within the mostly Victorian walls of Newcastle University lies the strikingly modern home of Northern Stage, where director Anthony Almeida presents Shakespeare’s timeless tragedy, Othello. The theatre café-bar is the perfect place to relax before what many will agree is one of The Bard’s heaviest works, and always provides a warm and inviting welcome.

Almeida has chosen to shift the settings for his Othello from the scripted Venice and Cyprus to 1980s London and the Falklands respectively, though other than perhaps the military uniforms for those with a keen eye for that sort of thing the only real indicator of either comes from on-stage screens that denote location with each change of scene. This includes specific locations within the barracks and perhaps that was all that was needed and additional information on display of the passage of time helps to reinforce the military backdrop. While there is little doubt that the conflict between Britain and Argentina over the South Atlantic islands echoes the Ottoman-Venetian war over Cyprus 500 years earlier, other than a couple of musical references and the previously mentioned uniform detail this production could have been set in any given modern military base. Naming the Falklands specifically hasn’t really added much.

Designer Natasha Jenkins has created a clever performance space which gradually works to enhance the titular characters claustrophobic sense of jealousy, giving a feeling of inevitability to the tragic final scene. The space and levels are used well, with the cast able to establish changes in locale with ease. There is a moment, however, where Desdemona scales a fence which, from the audience, isn’t entirely clear in its purpose.

Lighting design by Jack Hathaway is simple but effective, particularly in bringing the audience that little bit closer during fourth-wall-breaking soliloquies.

Casting-wise the standout performance for this reviewer is Phoebe Smyth as Desdemona, in her professional debut after recently graduating from LAMDA. She has a wonderful presence on stage and a very natural acting style. Rebecca Banatvala’s Emilia comes into her own during her shared scene with Desdemona at the end of Act IV, before stealing the scene during the climactic Act V.

Another LAMDA graduate, Will Stanton, plays Cassio with conviction. One of the most striking directorial choices features Stanton: during a fight, the action is filmed from above. While Cassio continues to fight invisible opponents on stage the projection continues to show the actual opponents he believes he is fighting. It is a very clever bit of work from video programmer Jamie Waters.

Scheming Iago is played with relish by Maanuv Thiara, portraying a character who seems almost to be taking his revenge as a game as opposed to outright anger which adds to the tragedy of the final result, particularly as this Iago shows little remorse for the devastation his actions have caused.

Othello is taken on by Dwane Walcott who, although clearly a competent actor, doesn’t quite seem to hit his stride here. The beats are all there but don’t always feel real and internalised, with the thought process not truly coming through. This makes it harder for the audience to fully connect with Othello’s descent.

This production is a strong collaboration between Northern Stage (Newcastle), HOME (Manchester), Citizens Theatre (Glasgow) and Royal & Derngate (Northampton), and will surely be enjoyed by Shakespeare enthusiasts. It may not be the easiest production for newcomers to Shakespeare on stage, unless perhaps they studied the play at school, but there is still a lot to admire in this ambitious production.

Runs until 26 September 2026