Othello was the third big play we saw this year (and our second Shakespeare in London). It starred young Obi-Wan, er, I mean Ewan McGregor, so the tickets sold out quickly! McGregor played Iago, the envious backstabber (literally) who abuses Othello’s trust and causes his downfall. Othello was played by Chiwetel Ejiofor (who played the bad guy in the movie Serenity), and he was fantastic. His look, his accent, his raw power — brilliant. He transformed from a charismatic, confident leader, standing tall to a jealous, murdering wreck left hunched over in his anguish. Othello’s love, Desdemona (played by British TV star Kelly Reilly), was also amazing. But it was Emilia (Michelle Fairley, best known as the nanny Mrs. Marlish in the film The Others), who stole the show at the end with her powerful monologue against Iago and all of mankind’s cruelty to women.
Ejiofor as Othello, McGregor as Iago (c) Daily Mail
The play was at the Donmar Warehouse, a small theater in the West End. And I mean small. It only seats about 250 people. (It used to be a brewery’s vat room and hops warehouse before it was converted to a theater in 1953.) On the ground level the seats go back maybe 7 rows and there’s no gap between the seats and the stage. We were in the front row, stage right, so we had the best view, so close to the action that during one of the fight scenes I instinctively ducked when the swords were swung. We could see the tears in Othello’s eyes and drip to the floor. We could smell the actors’ sweat and hear them breathe. We could also see when Ewan MacGregor couldn’t sheath his knife after stabbing Cassio, so he just tucked it in the back of his belt.
Fairley as Emilia, Reilly as Desdemona (c) Daily Mail
And how was Ewan McGregor? Fantastic. The perfect amount of evil and conniving jealousy, with enough charisma to make you cringe when you see just how nasty and low he sinks to bring Othello down. And according to Marta, he looked absolutely yummy. I think most of the women in attendance were there just to see beautiful Ewan. I must admit, he’s got looks and charm, and the acting chops to pull off Shakespeare as easily as Star Wars or Moulin Rouge. I was glad that he didn’t overpower the show — how could he, when all the other actors were as good or better?
It was probably the best-acted Shakespeare production I’m likely to see in a long time, and I’m not the only one who thinks so. Ejiofor won the Olivier Award for best actor, Kelly Reilly was nominated for best actress, Michelle Fairley was nominated for best supporting actress, and Tom Hiddleston (who played Cassio) was nominated for best newcomer in a play (he actually won this award for a role he played in another play). I wouldn’t be surprised they all become bigger TV and film stars in the future.
Posted by LondonMitch 
