Othello is a worldwide famous tragedy written by Shakespeare that has always been popular among theater directors interpreting it in different styles. Among the 37 plays created by Shakespeare, one of the most outstanding is the tragedy of the Moor of Venice. The BSC theater piece of Othello is seemingly directed in line with the ideas of the “Absurdism.”
According to Culik, the “Theater of Absurd” is characterized as a mixture of tragedy and comedy that depicts life’s impermanence and confusion (12). The original playwright has been altered in terms of dialogues, scene design, and costumes, which indicates the director’s idea to modernize the story. The play allegedly brings the original content to the setting of the current US reality.
The plot of the original play narrates the story of the African general of the Republic of Venice, Othello, who fell in love with a white girl, the daughter of a Venetian senator. Iago, the close officer of Othello, who secretly hates him, manages to entangle the general with a lie and assure him of Desdemona’s treason. Shocked by a terrible disappointment, Othello decides to punish Desdemona for deceit strangling her. After her death, he learns the whole truth. As a result, Othello kills himself, and the main antagonist Iago is left for Cassio to be judged and put to a painful death. Victory in this tragedy of Shakespeare, as in most subsequent ones, remains on the side of high moral principles. Shakespeare continues to call the reader and viewer to fight against evil. In comparison, the BSC performance follows the main conventional plot twists and scenes; however, there are some changes and story contractions. Despite the same ending of the setting, the “Absurdism” contributes to the shift of story’s underneath (Culik 15).
The design of the BSC theatre play is very simple and even ascetic. There is no abundance of traditional scene decorations showing the Middle Ages’ surroundings. Instead, the decorations are restricted just to the tactic table and king size bed (BSC Theather 20:19). In other scenes, only the small round screen shows pictures, such as buildings of Venice, ripped American flag, abstract paintings which insinuate the particular setting (BSC Theather 1:18:34). Despite the absence of background music, the sound quality is on the high level, and speech of actors can be clearly recognized. The lights are simple as well, as there are only two blue backlights, and the lanterns constantly illuminate the stage. Nevertheless, this centered light makes the stage’s limits totally shaded what increases the attention of the audience.
The most exciting alteration of the play is the costumes of actors. Instead of conventional Medieval garments used in original plays, the characters who belong to the military (Othello and Iago) wear the US khaki uniform, while others (like Duke of Venice) and female characters are dressed in modern suits commonly seen in offices (BSC Theather 1:40:29). Moreover, the actresses playing Desdemona and Emilia changed their clothing several times to more casual apparel, such as an everyday dress of Desdemona.
Despite the absence of special lights and decorations, the acting holds down the attention of the audience. It seems that actors are talented, and almost all of them performed at a high level. The actors playing Othello, Iago, Desdemona, and Emilia leave the most pleasing impression (BSC Theather 1:45:27-2:10:05). There are no unplanned stoppages or interruptions due to fails to recall the play’s lines, which means that actors have been well prepared and had enough rehearsals. Nevertheless, the actors are often overacting, almost shouting on the scene, but it is allegedly planned by the director to add a piece of comedy to the tragedy.
To conclude, the BSC theatre created a fascinating interpretation of Othello. The director allegedly was inspired by the ideas of “Absurdism” to alter the play’s essence and modernize the story. With the help of military uniforms and suits, gobbledygook parts of dialogs, the absence of background music, and decorations, this theater piece makes the audience to interact intellectually with the play.
Works Cited
Culík, Jan. The Theatre of the Absurd: The West and the East. 2000.
“BSC Theater: Othello.” YouTube, uploaded by Creative Media Services Proofing, 2020. Web.