Purists may complain that a lot is missing from Frantic Assembly’s take on Othello. For though the words are Shakespeare’s, heavy trimming means aspects of the play’s grandeur and tragic weight are lost.
But this is a fierce, exciting Othello. With a propulsive yet at times opulent soundtrack by electronic musicians Hybrid, it delights in a swirling physicality that owes a good deal to the head rush and hedonism of club culture.
It’s set not in stately Venice but in a tough pub in a tired Yorkshire suburb. The performers bounce off Laura Hopkins’s grungy scenery, brandishing beer bottles and darting to the loo for gossip or other forms of refreshment. This is a fractured community in which aggression and horseplay are the norm, and director Scott Graham suggests the tribalism that lies behind the characters’ thuggery.
Mark Ebulue brings gruff muscularity to the title role and Kirsty Oswald makes an interestingly gobby yet appealing Desdemona. There’s also robust work from Ryan Fletcher as Cassio and Barry Aird as Brabantio. But it’s Steven Miller’s Iago who drives this potent interpretation. Like the production, he is full of snarling attitude and crafty intelligence.
Until Feb 7 (020 8741 6850, lyric.co.uk)
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