Othello plus some Cecil Beaton fabulousness

 Othello at the Theatre Royal Haymarket

An Othello with a starry cast of David Harewood (Othello) and Toby Jones (Iago), it had a full auditorium with a young and excited audience (I'm assuming it is still on the A level curriculum).  A simple but effective set, and this is a fairly simple and effective version.  Whilst the racism and misogyny are present, they are played pretty straight, without, for example trying to make it particularly current.  

David Harewood was great, moving from an expansive and in love Othello, to a broken vengeful man as Iago’s poison sinks in, and the surrounding cast were all pretty pitch perfect.  I found Toby Jones a weasely Iago, although not as compelling as Rory Kinnear’s version back in 2013ish.  What I did  find strange was the amount of laughter at Iago’s dastardly plans - this wasn’t uncomfortable titters, but proper laughs as if this was all just a bit of sport.  They did dry up after the interval though, when I felt the gravity finally sink into the theatre.  The bedroom scene between Emilia (Vinette Robinson) and Desdemona (Caitlin FitzGerald) was excellent, detailing the misogyny surrounding them as the plot closes in.  As always this scene makes me wonder about Shakespeare and his times - how did it go down originally and were the injustices heaped on women widely understood or was this something shocking to the audience? The final ends of both Desdemona and Othello got very satisfying gasps from the audience so I think that it can be counted as a success. 

For me, the second half was so much more powerful than the first, and on reflection I wonder if that was a reaction because the first half seemed lighter than usual.  We had great seats at the front of the gallery with no vertigo inducing steps.  And with an interval we even had a chance to get an ice cream too, which is becoming increasingly rare. 

Cecil Beaton at the NPG

Earlier on we had popped into the Cecil Beaton exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery, and it was full of fabulousness.  It reviews his early career and his time as one of the Bright Young Things, his fashion photograpy and portrait work, particularly chronicling high society between the wars, but it also covers his prolific book output, his time as a war photographer and finally his work as a costume designer, particularly for My Fair Lady.  There were also glimpses into some of his intense relationships with both men and women and how he sometimes he seemed to set his career on fire with little reason.  A great exhibition, we spend ages in there as there was so much to see.  It isn't free but it is recommended.

Here he is,second from the left in this photo of some of the Bright Young Things, dressed up for something or other that I can't remember now...

I really loved this photographic portrait of Lady Ottoline Morrell - she is one of my favourite painted portraits at the NPG anyway (by Augustus John) and this picks up much the same vibe of formidable-ness but I think she was probably also a lot of fun

His period at American Vogue (before he blew that job to pieces) produced some fab work - first of all this one - New York

And some covers - this was my favourite but I couldn't get a great photo of it

Then these were amongst my favourites of the war photos 

And then, this one, Fashion is Indestructible, bringing fashion and war together, somewhat incongruously 

Finally, his work on My Fair Lady - there was a gorgeous dress worn by Julie Andrews in the stage production, and then lots of photos from his work on the film - apparently a very unhappy time for him although he did make good friends with Audrey Hepburn

Finally, in a section about his homes, I enjoyed this handmade visitors book from his favourite home, with the subtitle 'Liberty Hall'.