The American Repertory Theatre's Othello certainly did not live up to the expected standard of the previous productions of this theatre company. I think that the directors of this show (in the end) sought to bring the audience a classical version of Othello, though not a Shakespearean version of the play. Despite this classical vision, the acting was clearly not classical, but rather, a very modern approach to classical acting. The indicating nature of the performances, particularly by Iago, was merely an attempt at a classical performance that did not echo throughout the show. The inconsistency of the performances in this show had a strong contribution to the downfall of the production as a whole. Although there were two directors with two different visions for this particular show, the quality of the acting should not have been affected. Actors still have the ability to make conscious choices about their characters regardless of a director's overall vision of the play.
Because there was a severe lack of set and scenery in this production, the focus of the audience was continually on the actors. Thus, the moments of poor performance were intensified. One of these moments that struck me the most was the opening scene between Iago and Roderigo. This scene, until Brabantio entered, was extremely weak and did not engage the attention of the audience. At the beginning of a show this is crucial. Othello is a play that I am very familiar with. However, I found myself uninterested during this first scene, to the point where I was not sure who was the character of Iago and who was the character of Roderigo.
Brabrantio's entrance pulled the audience back into the action onstage. His entrance was powerful because I really believed that he had just been woken up and was annoyed about it. His voice was clear and thunderous. He, in a manner of speaking, woke the audience up and brought them into the performance with his entrance.
