Othello (Bard on the Beach) [theatre review]

Shakespeare sure knew how to portray jealousy. I was already in love with anything Shakespeare, but now I can proclaim that I am an absolutely adoring fan of both Shakespeare and the Bard on the Beach Shakespeare Festival, now in its 20th Anniversary season. I was delighted to have Erica Hargreave join me for a superb performance of Othello, the tragedy of a man who is originally absolutely infatuated with his lovely wife, but then becomes insanely jealous. I have seen Othello in various incarnations in multiple languages (before this, a French adaptation).

The fact of the matter is that misplaced jealously drives people apart, no matter what. At the core of Bard’s “Othello” we find an extremely talented cast that unveil the intricacies of interpersonal relationships. Iago plants the seed of fear of infidelity and deception in Othello, while Desdemona does good things that can be misconstrued as bad. Overall, I really enjoyed the performance and even though it was a 1:00pm show, the Kitsilano Beach tent at Bard was fully packed. The cast’s acting is excellent although I found the play a bit on the long side (3 hours almost). This is, however, not a surprise. Shakespeare loved to take his sweet time developing a character’s storyline.

I would strongly recommend you to attend Othello, although Bard may be sold out by now. You can check online about availabilities and ticket prices. Thankfully, I got to share this experience with Erica, we both thoroughly enjoyed the performance. I do hope that I’ll have a chance to enjoy Bard in 2010. I really enjoyed all the previous shows I attended.

Disclosure: The tickets to attend the play and a previous pair of tickets for a lucky reader were sponsored very generously by Bard on the Beach. In any review I write or publish on my site, I retain editorial control at all times. Should you have any questions/concern feel free to contact me via e-mail through my contact form.

Be Sociable, Share!