Playwright: William Shakespeare. At: Chicago Shakespeare Theater, Navy Pier. Tickets: 312-595-5600; www.chicagoshakes.com; $48-$88. Runs through: April 10
The problem is that Othello is the hero but he doesn't drive the action. The antagonist, Iago, does that, relentlessly gaming Othello and making him a largely reactive character. Othello's two crucial active choices already have been made as the play begins: He's appointed Cassio ( Luigi Sottile ) as his lieutenant over Iago, and he's eloped with Desdemona ( Bethany Jillard ) and married her.
The frequent solution to this problem is to place a physically imposing man with a rich, deep voice in the title role, adding a flourish of romantic hero ( as much as Shakespeare allows, which isn't all that much ). It doesn't always work, so I'm glad it isn't the interpretation chosen by director Jonathan Munby for this production, not that James Vincent Meredith lacks stature or vocal chops as Othello.
Rather, Munby has chosen plain-spoken vigor as his methodology without enlarging the title character beyond what he is: a very successful military commander but still an outsider. Indeed, the clarity of speech delivered by this company makes the blatantly racist language of the play ( written in 1604 ) electrifying to contemporary ears. Listen to the diatribe delivered early-on by veteran David Lively, as Venetian Senator Brabantio, and you will hear Shakespeare as natural as modern speech both in style and ( regrettably ) content. It's also noteworthy that the unseen military enemy is an Islamic nation.
To underscore these points, the production is in modern dress ( Linda Cho, costumes ) and the scenic design ( Alexander Dodge ) is a temporary military fortress surrounded by razor wire, a concept somewhat clumsy in performance. The light camouflage uniforms and the scenic design suggest an Afghani or Iraqi setting standing in for the Cyprus of the play.
The result is a very fast-moving productionvigorous and judiciously editedwhich emphasizes the true nature of the play as a revenge tragedy, not some brave interracial romance gone awry. It drips with irony and cold humor. The central figure seeking revenge, of course, is Iago, ostensibly because General Othello didn't give him the promotion Iago believes he deserved. As played by Michael Milligan, it's clear Iago would have found some other reason to hate Othello even he'd received the promotion. Iago definitely is the dominant figure here, a ruthless soldier at home among soldiers sharing Quonset hut quarters, a platoon not found in Shakespeare. Even Iago's wife, Emilia ( Jessie Fisher ), is in uniform although she still serves as Desdemona's maid.
The gullibility and passivity of the character Othello continue to make the entire play problematic, as does the fact that Othello's death seems so post-climactic. Still, the force of this production, and the merit of its players, make it well worth seeing even if it cannot overcome all the play's inherent challenges.