Othello
Published 7:00 am Thursday, July 16, 2009
Screen heartthrob Sean Patrick Thomas (Save the Last Dance), inhabits the title role with quiet (and über-stylish) confidence in this imported-from-Broadway production. He’s fully believable as the deft Moorish battlefield strategist whose self-doubts in the social sphere cause him to believe the wrong domestic adviser (John Campion’s nebbishy Iago). Elisabeth Waterstons Desdemona looks and acts as pure as white light. Desdemonas devotion to her jealous husband is so blinding that it seems to grow, deepen, and mature even in the face of abuse. It is almost unbearable, in a good way. In contrast to the striking physical uniqueness of the principal casting, Peter Ksanders set centers around a simple, rather generic rectangle of well-worn, blackwashed paving boards, with two wooden entrance doors at the rear. With a light hand and a painters eye, New York-based director Arin Arbus presents an intimate, Shaker-simple universe in which words, deeds, and character can not only shine but combust. MARGARET FRIEDMAN [See Margaret’s full review.]. 7:30 p.m. Tues.-Thurs., 8 p.m. Fri., 2 & 8 p.m. Sat., 2 & 7:30 p.m. Sun. Ends Aug. 9.
Tuesdays-Thursdays, 7:30 p.m.; Fridays, 8 p.m.; Sundays, 7:30 p.m.; Saturdays, 2 & 8 p.m. Starts: July 2. Continues through Aug. 9, 2009
