Shakespeare Theatre Company: Othello

 I was eager to see Othello.  So much so, that I actually purchased my ticket over 6 months ago!  This gave me a slightly better price on what became utterly outrageous as the date approached.  Anchored by actors Wendell Pierce and Ben Turner, I think it's safe to say that this is STC's big production of the year.  

Other than Othello is a "Moor," and that this is a tragedy, I also didn't know that much more about the plot.  Of Course I knew the heroine was Desdemona, and the villain (thanks to Disney's Aladdin) was Iago.  So I came to learn the story and experience most especially, Wendell Pierce (of the Wire, Tremaine, and other excellent TV series) fame.  And it was apparent when he first took the stage that I was not alone in my fandom for Pierce.  However, by the time he arrived, I was already captivated by another actor, Ben Turner.  From his first line forward, Iago was the man in charge.  Pierce was wonderful, don't get me wrong.  His timing, especially when squeezing out a humorous moment, was superb.  Yet, Iago was in charge, and he played Othello for the fool with tremendous agility.  The third member of the A-team Desdemona, played by Olivia Cygan, was bright and breezy, innocent and trusting to a fault.  She created the perfect heroine for a tragic demise, and we certainly got one.  In the end, very nearly everyone dies except the person who ought to.  I guess some things never change.

While all three of the principals were excellent and well balanced, (I once saw a production of Romeo and Juliet here were the actor portraying Mercutio was SO GOOD, that every one else felt like they'd just been called up from the minor leagues) so were the B-Team players.  Most notably Lucas Iverson as Cassio and Todd Scofield as the Duke of Venice.  Lucas gave Cassio the same boyish innocents and devotion to Othello that made his downfall feel as tragic as Desdemona's demise.  And Scofield is a master of gravitas.  Grounding even as chaos fraught a scene as the final one with a sense of ... what's the word?  Hope?  

The set was expansive creating an unusually small orchestral seating area and giving all of us on the ground floor a tremendous sense of intimacy with the actors.  Of the supporting elements (sets, props, lighting, sound, graphics, costumes and choreography), it was the choreography that stood out.  With a military theme, the ensemble brought an element of the larger world without.   Between many scenes they also affected scene changes with a precision worthy of a well-honed combat brigade.  

An excellent production and a wonderful way to end this 2025-2026 theatre season for me.

Wendell Pierce as Othello.

Strategizing with the Duke of Venice, [L to R: Cassio (Lucas Iverson), ensemble (Jon Beal), ensemble (Cole Sitilides), the Duke of Venice (Todd Scofield), Othello (Wendell Pierce), and Montano (Derek Garza)]

Iago (Ben Turner)

Othello and Desdemona (Olivia Cygan) in love and carefree

Iago begins planting seeds of doubt.

Cassio (Licas Iverson)

Military Horse-play; Prepping Cassio to play his unwitting role.  [L-R: as members of the ensemble: EM Whitworth, Cole Sitilides, Vish Skula, Derek Garza, (Cassio) Lucas Iverson, and Anna Marzullo]

The die is cast, Desdemona's final slumber.

Driven mad by a circle of unraveling lies.  I thought Pierce's delivery of Othello's final soliloquy was brilliant.  He owned every word, every phrase, every pause to craft his statement, his "take" on Othello's summation of his life.  Even as he spoke, I could easily imagine how it could have a different meaning under the power of an actor who made different choices.  And his interpretation was the perfect conclusion to the Othello he portrayed...and you could have heard a pin drop from start to finish.