- John Douglas Thompson and Merritt Janson in Shakespeare & Company’s production of Othello, Photo: Kevin Sprague
August 11, 2008
Although Shakespeare & Company of Lennox, Massachusetts was founded 31 years ago, the theatre’s current production of Othello markw the first time it has mounted a fully produced version of the play on its main stage. If the theatre critics are to be believed, the wait was worth it.
The play is directed by Tony Simotes and stars John Douglas Thompson as Othello, Michael Hammond as Iago, Merritt Janson as Desdemona and LeRoy McClain as Cassio. Simote has set his production in the 1820s taking inspiration from the paintings of Spanish artist Francisco Goya.
Watch a slide show of Othello at Shakespeare & Company
Ben Brantley of The New York Times writes, “A rare Olympian music - forceful, beautiful and inaudible to ordinary ears - seems to dictate the rhythms of John Douglas Thompson’s performance in the title role of Shakespeare & Company’s production of “Othello.” From the moment he sets foot on the stage of the Founders’ Theater here, this truly commanding Venetian general is a figure of monumental poise but also of instinctive, exotic poetry.” (Read the complete NY Times review)
Louise Kennedy of the Boston Globe says, “John Douglas Thompson has played Othello twice before, including a magnetic performance at the American Repertory Theatre. Joining him on the Shakespeare & Company stage is Michael Hammond, essaying his first Iago. And both men, along with director Tony Simotes, have created an “Othello” that feels at once fresh and familiar, unexpected and right.” (Read the entire Boston Globe review)
Writing for the Daily Gazette, Carol King says, “Shakespeare and Company is offering one of the most courageous performances of the season. In the title role of “Othello,” John Douglas Thompson gives powerful, poignant voice to the “noble Moor.” He is vastly human and, at the same time, every bit the towering, tragic hero of Shakespeare’s great plays.” (Read the Daily Gazette Review)
Othello runs at Shakespeare & Company in Lenox, Massachusetts through August 31.
Web Resources:
The Republican - Othello speaks through ages
Daily Gazette - Company puts premium on interaction, race of characters in its ‘Othello’
