"Othello" a huge hit with alumni
Shakespearean Super-Star Barry Edelstein Describes His Directorial Approach to "Othello"
Alumni from Harvard, Oxford, and Cambridge joined forces on July 25th to meet with the Managing Director of The Old Globe, Barry Edelstein. Edelstein, the director of "Othello", which is approaching the end of its sold-out run, described how Shakespeare borrowed structure from prior comedies for his tragedies, and drew on text and scenes from other plays as he deepened his explorations of the human condition. He also described how he assessed where to cut some of the original text to drive the action while keeping the length of the play to a length that a modern audience would accept. He finished by arguing that Othello is less a play about race - racial comments are strong in the beginning but soon disappear into the background - than about gender, about how men take liberties with women and women are forced to adjust and strategize to survive.
To round out the Harvard Club's Shakespeare experience, the Harvard Book Group met to read aloud portions of the play, and on the evening of the play, alumni enjoyed tapas and drinks at The Prado. It was a pleasure to welcome several teenagers who are developing a growing appreciation for quality theatre as they attend Club events.
The play itself was, according to many, magnificent. Several alums said they'd never felt so emotional at a Shakespeare play. The main characters, played by nationally known actors, were vividly portrayed in motive and emotion; the anguish of Othello and Amelia in the last scene, on realizing what they had done, was palpable and brought tears to more than one eye.