Writer: William Shakespeare
Director: Nöel Jones
It may be written for an audience of 3,000 (the capacity of the Globe Theatre while The Bard was alive), but the emotional ending of Shakespeare’s Othello is even more powerful in Discarded Nut Theatre Co.’s Nutshell studio. The show’s climax, with Ashley Merjri in the title role and Lottie Burns as his wife, comes at the end of a production which, although good, feels long at almost three hours.
Felix Price and Ben Lynn, as Roderigo and Iago, open the show by running up the same stairs that the audience uses to enter the venue. Lynn’s Iago—the mastermind whose jealousy-fuelled actions drive the show—fills the stage with intensity and energy. In a small performance space, every movement and glance is noticeable, and Lynn is well aware of this as his eyes dart around the stage and he twitches along with the show. It is also Lynn who creates the strongest bond with the audience; there is more than one occasion where he looks the viewers directly in the eye, revealing his character’s madness and methodical scheming.
Alongside Lynn, the strongest of the seven performers on stage is Lottie Burns, who makes her professional Shakespeare debut as Desdemona, Othello’s wife. She plays the naïve and doting wife perfectly, from her first declaration of loyalty to her husband to her pleading for his forgiveness even when she does not know what she is accused of. Burns is incredibly watchable, with an intensity in her emotions that invites the audience—and when she is on stage, they really are her audience—not only into the story but into her heart.
That heart belongs to Ashley Merjri’s Othello who, with a complete understanding of Shakespeare’s world, drags the audience into his journey toward insanity and rage. Merjri, more than any of his castmates, delivers on the show’s advertising: “brutally honest and emotionally explosive.” Merjri seems genuinely distraught as his ancient (his ensign in Shakespearean parlance) manipulates him into madness and distrust.
It is Lynn, Burns, and Merjri who lead the cast, and their combined talent outshines the rest of the company. They deliver their roles with skill and authenticity, providing the foundations that other performers rely on for their own roles.
Sam Clarridge gives a valiant performance as Cassio, although occasional missteps in direction mean he does not get the opportunity to showcase his character development fully. The weaknesses in this show, although only minor, are all the result of creative decisions: a shiny pink dress for Liv Davies’ Bianca and a long scene change that draws energy away right before the show’s emotional climax.
It is only in the final scenes that anything is added to the Venetian-inspired set designed by Emma Gibbs. Most of the show is performed around a set of Renaissance arches. It is simple, effective, and allows the acting and script to deliver the story without distraction. Paired with lighting design by Katy Nixon, the set offers depth and plenty of places for actors to hide from each other in furtherance of their own goals. Approaching the final scene, a mattress and pillows are added. The marriage bed is an important element of the show’s ending, but its introduction to the stage is laboured and needlessly long. In a moment seemingly meant to create atmosphere and suspense, the audience is given the opportunity to be distracted—by the show they have just seen, by each other, and, in one case, by a notification on a phone. It is a shame for a show which has, for the most part, delivered on the emotional heritage of Othello.
In truth, bringing any of Shakespeare’s tragedies to the stage can be tough. Director Nöel Jones puts in a good effort but falls short in a few areas, perhaps the main one being the length of the piece, which clocks in at just under three hours (with interval). One can only hope that as the cast get more comfortable with their roles, the pace may speed up.
Runs until Saturday 21 March.
