Theatre review: Othello at CLF Cafe

Rating:

Othello is arguably one of Shakepeare's most poetic plays, with some beautiful lines and the themes of light/dark, war/peace, honesty/lies running through.

At the heart of the play is the underlying human frailty that suffers in the hands of discrimination and personal insecurity.

So what if Othello, a most tragic hero, was in a modern world. Where discrimination was not just about race and power, but about gender and sexuality as well?

This is explored very poignantly in SJ Brady's adaptation.

Holding tight to the original text, but adjusting for a modern sensitivity, setting and re-arrangement of some gender roles, this Othello takes the play in an unexpected, yet familiar, direction.

At its strongest when drawing directly from the original, the poetry of the dialogue is as pertinent today as 500 years ago, a tour de force ensemble performance brings this play right up to the 21st century and shows how relevant Shakespeare continues to be.

Particularly excellent performances from Kate Hunter as Desdemona, and Richard de Lisle as Iago complemented the well portrayed breakdown of Othello's psyche by Rachel Hawkes, culminating in a climatic death scene (sorry if that's a plot spoiler) which cleverly marks the fine line between love, life and death.

Othello is running until 21st August at the CLF Café, Peckham. Performances are at 7.30pm and tickets are £9/11 available from CLF café.

By Katie