Guthrie's "Othello"
At Cutler Majestic
April 7 - 10

Ranking among the world's foremost interpreters of Shakespeare, The Guthrie
Theater
will bring Shakespeare's classic tragedy "Othello" to the Cutler Majestic Theatre at Emerson College from April 7 - 10. 

Under the direction of Joe Dowling, Artistic Director of the Guthrie Theater, this production is the Guthrie's first national tour in 17 years, formed as part of the National Endowment for Arts' "Shakespeare in American Communities" initiative.

Chronologically following "Hamlet" and preceding "King Lear" and "Macbeth," "Othello, the Moor of Venice" (ca. 1601-04) ranks among Shakespeare's four major tragedies. 

His reworking of a 16th century Cinthio plot reveals with compelling poetic depth, tragic inevitability and intense dramatic engagement, the ambiguous power and fragility of love, as well as the destructive demons of doubt and suspicion that can be so effectively triggered by a cunning villain.

The agony at the center of the tragedy is captured most precisely when Othello admits to Desdemona that "when I love thee not - chaos is come again.” The play is a tragedy of love misunderstood, trust misplaced and lives ruined by blatant lies and denigrating fabrications.

Dowling commented, "It is, I think, one of the most accomplished of Shakespeare's tragedies because while it contains some of the truly greatest poetry in the Shakespeare canon, it also has the most wonderfully compelling plot and such rich characters. It's a play that demands absolute intensity from the actors."

This staging will focus on the psychological and poetic richness of the text and the characters' dynamic and sensual relations as a way to illuminate the central themes of Shakespeare's masterpiece. According to Dowling, this production is not about the grandeur of battle scenes or the sweep of history that one can present on the Guthrie thrust stage, but rather on the emotions that drive these characters -- sexual jealousy, disappointment, betrayal.

The cast of "Othello" includes Lester Purry (Othello), Bill McCallum (Iago), Cheyenne Casebier (Desdemona), Kris L. Nelson (Roderigo), Nathaniel Fuller (Brabantio), Robert O. Berdahl (Cassio), Peter Moore (Duke of Venice), Shawn Hamilton (Montano), Virginia S. Burke (Emilia), Ann Kim (Bianca), Brian Goranson (Lodovico) James Cada (Gratiano), Sean Michael Dooley and Brian A. Grandison (Senators-Officers-Citizens of Cyprus). 

Guthrie on Tour is sponsored by Target Corporation with additional support from RBC Dain Rauscher and Bankfirst.

Performances are: Wednesday, April 7, at 7 p.m.; Thursday, April 8, at 7:30 p.m. (ASL); Friday, April 9, at 7:30 p.m.; and Saturday, April 10, at 2 and 7:30 p.m. 
For ticket information, call 1-800-233-3123. Group discounts are available at 617-482-8616.

-- OnStage Boston

3/2/04

 

 
 
 
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