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 thoug...