Shakespeare’s best known tragic play, OTHELLO, is now in repertory at A Noise Within (ANW), in Pasadena, through April 28, 2019.
Othello is a well respected and passionate military man who feels intensely, be it love or jealousy, and who is brought down by the cunning and the lies of his “friend,” Iago.
At ANW, the play is directed by Jessica Kubzansky, who gives the story a contemporary political and military setting (with more women in power than the world of 1603 could have imagined) while keeping the original language of the Bard.
Wayne T. Carr and Angela Gulner play Othello and Desdemona respectively. They make a beautiful pair that is painful to see destroyed. Michael Manuel performs one of the most despicable Iagos you will ever see, and Tania Verafield offers an impressive Emilia. Her delivery (enhanced by the contemporary military uniform) makes this character of most notable significance. They are four principal characters well supported by a talented cast of ten, who together offer an outstanding, intense, and even heartbreaking show.
Should you watch it? Definitely! We live in a political climate in which people appear to tell the truth just as they deliver lies, and in which there seems to be no second thought to typing 140 characters to destroy someone’s reputation. Ours is a world of intense mind games, in which, if not careful, we could believe the wrong person and end up collaborating in the demise of us all. Ours is a time in which loyalty is necessary, but it must be given responsibly. OTHELLO is a most appropriate play for our time.
OTHELLO will perform on selected dates from March 7 to April 28. Visit anoisewithin.org for tickets, or call (626) 356-3121.
April 7 and 28 will be “Sunday Rush.” All tickets will be $25 on these dates, available online at noon with the code SUNDAYRUSH, or at the box office after 2 pm.
ANW is located at 3352 E Foothill Blvd, in Pasadena CA 91107.
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