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Post by zahidf on Jul 5, 2022 8:34:06 GMT
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Post by Dave B on Jul 5, 2022 8:59:06 GMT
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Post by Jan on Jul 5, 2022 10:24:14 GMT
Dyer comes across as somewhat arrogant in that interview:
"Dyer’s view is that those white directors of previous explorations of Othello “didn’t feel comfortable with being able to articulate the black experience through the piece and so instead they’d just avoid it."
That's all white directors of Othello ever apparently.
"The production, co-starring Paul Hilton (Slow Horses) as Othello’s nemesis, Iago, will redress an imbalance in many previous versions that has, seemingly, shifted more attention to the scheming Iago. “It’s not called Iago, it’s called Othello,” Dyer insisted."
""He was scathing about a famous 1990 production directed by Trevor Nunn for the Royal Shakespeare Company starring, the great baritone and actor, Willard White as the Moor and Ian McKellen as Iago. There’s also a video version of it. Dyer told Deadline: “I watched that and Ian McKellen is amazing, there’s no two ways about it, but my feeling is that we are allowed to enjoy that performance more readily than Othello’s.”
---
Of course on that basis directors should note that it's called The Merchant of Venice, not Shylock.
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Post by nottobe on Jul 5, 2022 10:31:39 GMT
Hmmm can't say I'm too excited by this. Why does British theatre think Othello to be one of the only plays about race? There are so many plays through different periods they could have explored. Personally feel it would have been more interesting for them to do The Tempest through a colonial lens as that has a lot of academic merit behind it.
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Post by Being Alive on Jul 5, 2022 10:43:50 GMT
Feels a little too soon to me for the National to be doing Othello AGAIN - it wasn't that long since Adrian Lester/Rory Kinnear...do we really need another one?
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Post by zahidf on Jul 5, 2022 10:46:19 GMT
Dyer comes across as somewhat arrogant in that interview: "Dyer’s view is that those white directors of previous explorations of Othello “didn’t feel comfortable with being able to articulate the black experience through the piece and so instead they’d just avoid it." That's all white directors of Othello ever apparently. "The production, co-starring Paul Hilton (Slow Horses) as Othello’s nemesis, Iago, will redress an imbalance in many previous versions that has, seemingly, shifted more attention to the scheming Iago. “It’s not called Iago, it’s called Othello,” Dyer insisted." ""He was scathing about a famous 1990 production directed by Trevor Nunn for the Royal Shakespeare Company starring, the great baritone and actor, Willard White as the Moor and Ian McKellen as Iago. There’s also a video version of it. Dyer told Deadline: “I watched that and Ian McKellen is amazing, there’s no two ways about it, but my feeling is that we are allowed to enjoy that performance more readily than Othello’s.” --- Of course on that basis directors should note that it's called The Merchant of Venice, not Shylock. Iago generally does get the starrier casting and more chances to shine though: he may have expressed it better of course, but a version which focuses more on Othello as the focus could be a good thing Giles Teria is an excellent actor as well |
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Post by Jan on Jul 5, 2022 11:01:17 GMT
Iago generally does get the starrier casting and more chances to shine though: he may have expressed it better of course, but a version which focuses more on Othello as the focus could be a good thing Giles Teria is an excellent actor as well The focus on Iago is in the text, not the direction. The Tempest would have been a more creative and less obvious choice, there have been overtly colonial interpretations of it - Michael Boyd's for example - but not many. On this general topic, there was an RSC Julius Caesar set in Africa with a near all-black cast but the director was Greg Doran - that struck me even at the time as being problematic, but apparently Doran didn't see it that way. He probably would now of course. At least the production itself will be traditional, old-fashioned even: “I want to make it thrilling, make it feel like a movie experience. I don’t want it to necessarily be held in just an old-fashioned theater form. I do hope I can make it feel more impactful by using other techniques, such as video screens, than just using the words.” Video screens. Yawn. |
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Post by Lopsided on Jul 5, 2022 11:42:58 GMT
Well, I'll be booking.
Saw Rosy McEwen in a couple of things when she was studying at Bristol Old Vic Theatre School and was very impressed and I'm not surprised that she's been cast in such a high profile production.
Also, Paul Hilton went on my automatic-booking list after The Inheritance.
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Post by cavocado on Jul 5, 2022 11:45:44 GMT
I don't dislike video screens per se. I thought they worked in the recent Donmar Henry V for example, even though I didn't love the production. But it's worrying that the deputy AD of the National Theatre thinks theatre should 'feel like a movie experience.' It suggests a lack of confidence in theatre to be thrilling and impactful in itself. But otherwise I'm looking forward to seeing what he brings to this, and also to seeing Giles Terera as Othello.
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Post by robwilton on Sept 2, 2022 11:24:32 GMT
What are we to make of this announcement on the NT website? "Landmark production"? "Subvert the traditional stagings"? "Reframe the play"? "Unseen forces"??!
"This November, OTHELLO returns to the National Theatre. Deputy Artistic Director, Clint Dyer, directs an extraordinary new vision for one of Shakespeare's most enduring tragedies. This landmark production marks the first time the play has been staged by a Black director at a major British venue..."
A word from Clint Dyer, Deputy Artistic Director: "This contemporary production will subvert the traditional stagings that we know so well and reframe the play to focus on Othello and Desdemona's desire for a life together and the unseen forces that conspire against them..."
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Post by Jan on Sept 2, 2022 12:03:55 GMT
But it's worrying that the deputy AD of the National Theatre thinks theatre should 'feel like a movie experience.' It suggests a lack of confidence in theatre to be thrilling and impactful in itself. This is the first Shakespeare play he will have directed. It is a tough task. Let's see. Macbeth in the Olivier was the first Shakespeare Rufus Norris had directed and look how poor that was. You can make theatre a movie experience but it needs more than a few video screens - Robert Icke's "Red Barn" was a very good example. It is an interesting view though, Michael Boyd ripped out the proscenium stage at the RST and put in a thrust stage specifically because he didn't want theatre to be a movie experience with the audience passive observers distanced from the action "If you want to sit in the dark go to the movies" he dismissively said to people who objected. |
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Post by lynette on Sept 4, 2022 14:31:34 GMT
Feels a little too soon to me for the National to be doing Othello AGAIN - it wasn't that long since Adrian Lester/Rory Kinnear...do we really need another one? Apparently we do. The Lester/Kinnear/Hytner job was the best Othello I’ve ever seen ( yes I did see the ones you are about to mention, Jan et al) so not sure I can face another one unless you guys all tell me I must. As for the name of the play 1. I’m convinced Sh didn't care despite the many Phds on the subject of his titles but 2. If it matters, then yes, Othello is the subject of the play, as are King Lear, Hamlet and Antony and Cleopatra in those plays. The merchant in The Merchant of Venice could well be Shylock or Antonio as other academic tomes have no doubt debated. This prod is in the Lyttleton so pro arch stuff. More like a movie? Easier to film for cinema release? Dunno. |
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Post by theoracle on Nov 20, 2022 21:36:38 GMT
Hey - is anyone planning on seeing this later this week? Had a browse for tickets and was surprised to see how much has already gone in the first few weeks of the run - even the £89 tickets! This is definitely on my list to see but curious to see how come it’s selling so well, not that that’s a bad thing of course. Hope to see it before Christmas myself
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Post by Dave B on Nov 20, 2022 21:48:13 GMT
It took me a second to realise you weren't talking about some new NT show that I had totally missed but had typo'd your subject! 
We are booked for early December, was popular so had to go a bit in the run to get our £20 front row when they went on sale.
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Post by theoracle on Nov 20, 2022 22:21:52 GMT
Hey - is anyone planning on seeing this later this week? Had a browse for tickets and was surprised to see how much has already gone in the first few weeks of the run - even the £89 tickets! This is definitely on my list to see but curious to see how come it’s selling so well, not that that’s a bad thing of course. Hope to see it before Christmas myself It took me a second to realise you weren't talking about some new NT show that I had totally missed but had typo'd your subject!
We are booked for early December, was popular so had to go a bit in the run to get our £20 front row when they went on sale.
Indeed, my phone seems to be unfamiliar with Shakespeare. Thanks for this |
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Post by londonpostie on Nov 20, 2022 23:55:09 GMT
Hey - is anyone planning on seeing this later this week? Monday next week, for me. |
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Post by alessia on Nov 21, 2022 6:30:57 GMT
I'm going on Thursday- got one of the £20 front row when it went on sale. Looking forward!
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Post by Dave B on Nov 21, 2022 8:45:03 GMT
Hey - is anyone planning on seeing this later this week? Monday next week, for me. Not a matinee? 
(I miss my matinees!)
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Post by BurlyBeaR on Nov 21, 2022 8:47:47 GMT
Merged
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Post by MrBunbury on Nov 25, 2022 8:27:40 GMT
I went to see it last night. First thing, I am Italian so I always struggle with the language in Shakespeare and that might detract from my experience. I had only seen Othello once at the Globe with Mark Rylance as Iago. The play was about three hours long with an interval. It was a bit a mixed bag for me: in terms of positives, Paul Hilton, as expected, is great as Iago (pure unrepented evil. Just hearing his voice brought me back to Walter's monologue in The inheritance). When he is in the scene, the atmosphere is electric. The relationship between Iago and his wife Emilia is interesting and given an undertone that might in part explain why Emilia gets involved in the plot of the handkerchief (fear and desire to please him). The three hours passed quickly so the pacing is good. The rather stark staging and the monochrome costumes might help to focus on the text, although there is little suggestion we are in either Venice or Cyprus (it looks more like an asylum in Vladivostok). Giles Tereira, whom I really liked in previous plays, grows in the second part but I must say I never believed he was a valiant general and seemed to lack that kind of authority that I would associate to the position. And I did not remember that jealousy would turn into epilepsy. Rose McEwen is a modern Desdemona quite good. But looking at what the director said about his intention to refocus the play on Othello and articulate the black experience because previous directors were not comfortable with that, in his opinion, I don't think it worked out. As written by Shakespeare, Iago remains central to the story and the most interesting character and apart from the overt racism in the Venetian characters, I did not get much of Othello's point of view.
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Post by alessia on Nov 25, 2022 10:45:58 GMT
I went to see it last night. First thing, I am Italian so I always struggle with the language in Shakespeare and that might detract from my experience. I had only seen Othello once at the Globe with Mark Rylance as Iago. The play was about three hours long with an interval. It was a bit a mixed bag for me: in terms of positives, Paul Hilton, as expected, is great as Iago (pure unrepented evil. Just hearing his voice brought me back to Walter's monologue in The inheritance). When he is in the scene, the atmosphere is electric. The relationship between Iago and his wife Emilia is interesting and given an undertone that might in part explain why Emilia gets involved in the plot of the handkerchief (fear and desire to please him). The three hours passed quickly so the pacing is good. The rather stark staging and the monochrome costumes might help to focus on the text, although there is little suggestion we are in either Venice or Cyprus (it looks more like an asylum in Vladivostok). Giles Tereira, whom I really liked in previous plays, grows in the second part but I must say I never believed he was a valiant general and seemed to lack that kind of authority that I would associate to the position. And I did not remember that jealousy would turn into epilepsy. Rose McEwen is a modern Desdemona quite good. But looking at what the director said about his intention to refocus the play on Othello and articulate the black experience because previous directors were not comfortable with that, in his opinion, I don't think it worked out. As written by Shakespeare, Iago remains central to the story and the most interesting character and apart from the overt racism in the Venetian characters, I did not get much of Othello's point of view. I agree with you. [also Italian here, Shakespeare is such a struggle for me too!] in that I thought Iago was the highlight of this production. I liked that they added details like the fact (spoiler alert) that he is a violent/coercive abuser. I'd never seen the play before and read the synopsis ahead. From what it says on the RSC website, the epilepsy is in the original too. I quite liked the monochrome staging and costumes. As much as I love Giles Terera and would go see him in anything, he was not as amazing as I was expecting. I did not think there was much chemistry between his Othello and Desdemona. I liked how he interpreted Othello's descent into madness- I really liked the scene with Iago when the latter starts to plant the seed of jealousy. However, I did not feel much despair in his performance as the suspicions and madness take over, and especially at the point when he kills Desdemona. Has this was just the second preview, I wonder if he's still warming up to the role. |
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Post by oxfordsimon on Nov 25, 2022 11:53:39 GMT
These reports do seem to confirm my fears that too many directors seem to want to direct the play they want it to be rather that directing the text as written.
Othello may be the title character but Iago is always going to be the most interesting figure on stage.
The only way to really alter that balance is to write a new script. And then you can't use Shakespeare as the draw.
I know the rise of the dramaturg has given some directors permission for the idea that they can completely reshape a text. And whilst that is technically true, it is very rare that a director is a better writer than Shakespeare.
Yes, it has been happening for centuries. Through history we have had Lear rewritten to have a happy ending, Merchant ending after Act 4 to put all the focus on Shylock and many, many others.
But none of these adaptations have persisted in the repertoire. The originals have.
If a director doesn't have faith in the text, they should not direct it.
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Post by Jan on Nov 25, 2022 15:11:27 GMT
Two of the most revered Shakespeare directors of our era, John Barton and Trevor Nunn, directed productions where they had added literally hundreds of lines they had written themselves. I suppose it depends on the intention.
The production as reviewed here doesn’t sound even in the slightest bit innovative in any way. Quite surprising.
On the motivation of Emilia, the Hytner production made her a soldier too and so implied she was literally subordinate to Iago - that was very effective.
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Post by oxfordsimon on Nov 25, 2022 15:56:30 GMT
But no one performs the Barton or Hall versions. So they were very much one offs.
The essence is that Othello isn't a play you can perform to highlight the black experience because the text just doesn't allow for it.
It isn't the play the director thinks it is.
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Post by Jan on Nov 26, 2022 15:16:50 GMT
But no one performs the Barton or Hall versions. So they were very much one offs. I don’t think Hall ever wrote his own material for Shakespeare though he directed Barton’s “Wars of the Roses” Henry VI version where I think only one of the many death scenes was actually written by Shakespeare. Barton used to routinely insert his own text into the plays he directed. The Trevor Nunn example I was thinking of was Timon of Athens where he cut hundreds of lines and added hundreds of his own to try to make sense of it and (of course) no one noticed least of all the critics. I think it is certain I’ve seen more productions of Othello than Clint Dyer. What he claims to be innovative about his production doesn’t strike me as being so. For example I’ve seen productions where the Venetian establishment who are happy to use Othello’s military skills still have a plainly racist attitude towards him as a person. |
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