By Natalie Forster, Staff Writer
The National Players is America’s longest-running touring company, centered in Montgomery County, Maryland. Performing for 69 years, this touring season showcased “Alice in Wonderland,” “The Great Gatsby” and, most recently, “Othello.” On Oct. 30, the Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts welcomed the National Players in its performance of “Othello.”
The cast used both weapons and costumes from the Shakespearean age and modern day. They did this in order to make the story understandable where it might be confusing to young readers, as well as touch on contemporary issues of our time.
As well as the use of more modern clothing, each family and relationship had different colors woven into its clothing to showcase the deep connections between characters. Iago and his wife Emilia both wore red, and Desdemona and her father both wore blue.
The show also was updated to our generation by having an African-American male, 31-year-old Kenneth Hopkins, Jr., of Flint, Michigan, play Othello. This touched upon the racial tension of this generation and added more to the play.
On stage, the performers had a constant bed-like prop for a background. Poles with four curtains attached to them helped create the illusion. This cast wanted that central evocative picture of a bed.
“It’s the idea to some of us that you don’t know how it’s going to end, not trying to hide the bed,” said Benjamin DeCamp Cole of Charlottesville, Virginia who played Brabantio. “But the idea that some of us kind of know where this is going. You’re not going to hide the titanic.”
The actors performed the play just like it was written, with all five full acts and a 15-minute intermission before the fourth.
The first act began with Iago trying to help a rich man named Roderigo win the love of a woman named Desdemona. Roderigo learned that Desdemona married General Othello, and Iago hated him for giving the position of lieutenant to the inexperienced Cassio instead. From this point on, Iago tried to convince Othello that Desdemona cheated on him with Cassio so that Iago could get the power he thought he deserved.
The whole plot centered around the idea that Iago is narcissistic and pure evil, and by the fourth act, he convinced Othello that adultery occurred and murder was the only way around it. Just like any classic William Shakespeare play, many deaths occurred before the villain, in this case Iago, finally died and justice got served.
The play was not only a tragedy, though. The actors made sure they highlighted Shakespeare’s comedic writing, opting to sing Neil Diamond’s “Sweet Caroline” on stage during the party scene.
“We wanted it to be like you, like the audience member, to be like oh yeah I know what that looks like,” said Emily Brown, the 22-year-old Boston actress who played Lodovico. “The scene showed the beauty in the ignorance before everything started to crumble.”
The standout actor in this production was 32-year-old Jared Graham, who played Iago. He spoke and acted with such passion that one could easily be fooled into thinking he was as vindictive as his character. Audience members appeared shocked when his character killed his wife, and all his other actions showed his immersion in the role.
The whole production’s performance was remarkable. Without prior knowledge or familiarity with the language, this play could have been slightly confusing for some. Unlike various touring companies, the National Players do not change their show based on the audience. However, the color scheme and weapons helped the audience to make connections and understand.
If you enjoyed this year’s show, the National Players are performing “Around the World in 80 Days,” “The Crucible” and “Twelfth Night” next year.
forstena17@bonaventure.edu
