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June 12, 2004
Othello
Went to watch Othello last night. I was expecting myself to fall asleep at some point because I had not slept well for the previous two nights, was nursing a bad headache and well, I have a tendency to get bored at some point of a theatrical production.
It was a monster at 3 hours and 10 minutes. (Did it really last that long?) Three acts, two intermissions, alot of non-words, imagery and some subtitles. I didn't get bored at all. In fact, after getting the hang of toggling between the subtitles screen and the real stuff going on the stage, I was hooked and was almost surprised each time an act ended.
The staging was superb and with a white Othello, all the "black" connotations dived right into the darkness of the human psyche and eliminated race issues. A simplified thematic approach to make issues of the human mind more pressing.
This is the first time I've ever cried at a play. When Desdemona confided in Emilia about her confusion regarding Othello's lack of love and unwarranted suspicion, her simplicity and trust in the faith of love cut deep into my heart. Trust and love is never enough, if it's only one-sided. And for that fabulous scene, I now can't decide now if I feel more for Ophelia (a la Hamlet) or Desdemona. Her hope, her love, her haplessness - does she deserve to die at all?
All in all, I 'm glad I went. It's money well-spent definitely. :)
Posted by lainey at June 12, 2004 12:24 PM