Theatre Review of:
Frantic Assembly's 'Othello' at
The Oxford Playhouse on Thursday 23rd October 2014
In this production, Frantic Assembly took a well known Shakespearean play 'Othello', and brought it to life with a contemporary feel for a new younger audience. Their use of fast pace physical theatre left me on the edge of my seat and gripped to the characters and themes, the running themes of Love, Tragedy and Envy, kept the audience on their toes as characters emotions go from extreme to extreme, as
Set:
Pool table is being revolved around(centre of the set), important things happen there- night of their wedding was spent on it, death scene.
walls used to show his intoxicated state, not usual to see set manipulated by actors.
smashed windows.
Lighting:
Sliver white light to show her purity and self worth
Bland wash over main parts of the play, the lights pick up during physical theatre scenes.
Costume/Props
White tank top, Othello-dominance and diversity shows him being a leader
Desdemona has on rolled up to show her being different and maybe a leader of the females.
Othello is the only one to have a weapon(Bat), this shows his status with everyone else.
Sound (music)-
pop, disco, techno music playing in the background brought life and linked it back to modernised version.
Acting:
use of gritty London accents contrasts to the text. Relatable to an audience.
Direction:
Perf-Style:
Conclusion:
Pros and Cons of the production,
