'Othello' - Upper Sixth English Experience

Date: Thursday 12 February 2009

Jon Dagley, the Head of English, has been kind enough to write:

"U6 enjoyed a raw and powerful ‘Othello’ at the Hackney Empire on Thursday 12^th February. Despite driving snow we arrived at the large and elegant theatre on time and despite a stricken Iago (Michael Gould) whose loss of voice meant his understudy Alex Hassall had to step forward, the play held us in its thrall for the 3 hours and 30 minutes of its performance. Iago is a highly demanding part for an understudy to play. Alex Hassall held it together and though he resembled a Machiavellian schoolboy at first sight he succeeded in creating a web of deceit and evil. His victim, Patrice Naiambana’s Othello, was athletic and passionate but conveyed convincingly the too ‘free and noble’ side of his nature. He is bewildered and ultimately destroyed. His wife, Desdemona (Natalia Tena) was both sultry and yet innocent on her way to her undeserved death at the hands of her ignorant husband – a great performance.

We had fifties costumes, Italian and Greek music and even a black and white minstrel and gollywog (from its home in Bethnal Green Museum of Childhood) to spice up the racial element in this play about prejudice and colour. There was a superbly simple set with two stairways giving a ship’s prow as well as a balustrade and a storm conjured up by very effective lighting sound and movement. All in all, the Royal Shakespeare Company delivered plenty for the U6 - and their teacher - to consider for their run up to the A2 exams!"

Many thanks, Jon. I can't envisage the Hackney Empire as anything other than a Music Hall venue; how times have changed!