It was 15 years ago that American actor John Douglas Thompson took on the role of Othello in an off-Broadway production with Juliet Rylance as his Desdemona. For him, it brought a collection of awards, for her a succession of stage then largely TV roles that kept her busy for a decade before returning to the UK.
So it is as if they are revisiting fond old acquaintances as they are reunited in the same roles for the first time in director Tim Carroll’s production for the RSC, when Othello joyfully lifts up his wife as soon as the couple meet again.
Carroll strips away all clutter to concentrate on such relationships, and designer Judith Bowden presents the piece in a series of light boxes devoid of local reference, although her rich costumes—mostly sustainably sourced from the RSC wardrobe—define the period precisely as early 17th century Venetian. From time to time, curtains or a golden back wall part to reveal goings on in that maritime city.
Light and darkness alternate, just like elements of Othello’s personality, a soldier of all or nothing, white and black, representations of the racism that gives the play its first impetus and runs as an undercurrent thereafter.
Thompson carries the noble bearing of a rather ageing but deeply fractured general, a bit too big for the men around him until jealousy eats away at his constitution. The wind goes out of him, he pants with emotion, and if the performance seems to veer just a little toward the over-dramatic, it should be remembered that according to Shakespeare the man is having an epileptic fit.
His closing speech, "to have loved not wisely, but too well," came with enough heartfelt conviction to win sympathy, if not approval—and a brief pause while a mobile phone rang in the audience did nothing to reduce its impact.
Rylance is the epitome of a dutiful wife of the age, proud in her modesty, obedient and faithful until roused to anger at the unjust accusation that she is to the contrary. Anastasia Hille’s Emilia is equally convincing as she moves from uncomprehending acquiescence through disappointment with husband Iago to realisation and ferocious denunciation of his villainy.
But drama revolves around a villain, and Will Keen provides all the ingredients you love to hate. This shaven-headed, smooth-talking conman can play everyone for a fool. As he makes "the net that will enmesh them all", Keen spreads his arms wide as if to hold them fast.
Clarity is a feature of the production, and Keen’s measured speech ensures every word is heard, every inflection understood as if one could see inside his head as he works out his murderous intent.
As the lieutenant Cassio, Edward Hogg seems an improbably weak figure for a potential military commander, twitching his fingers nervously as his suppressed feelings for Desdemona are brought to light.
Some may be bemused by elements of the production and its stage design, but they do allow the words clearly to speak for themselves. And they surely are the point of it all.