By Helen Shaw
If you’re looking for free outdoor Shakespeare this summer, the Classical Theater of Harlem’s crowd-pleasing, action-packed, modern-dress production of Shakespeare’s tragedy is an absolute humdinger. Narratively, this Uptown Shakespeare in the Park staging is as clear as Venetian glass, thanks to the director Carl Cofield’s addition of an introductory scene, in which the slithery Iago (Nick Westrate) breaks bad when his general Othello (James Udom) passes him over for promotion. Military protocol is both the battlefield and the primary weapon here: Cofield focuses on the needling interactions between the so-called Moor of Venice and the white men who resent his achievements; we register each shock on Udom’s face as their maddening poison sneaks through.
There are several standouts in the production, including Hiram Delgado as a hilariously dim Roderigo, who often seems flummoxed by the brothers Christopher and Justin Swader’s mazelike set. My favorite performers, though, are the superb Udom, playing Othello, and Isabel Arraiza, playing Othello’s doomed wife Desdemona. They imagine the central couple as soul mates who think they’ve vanquished their world’s racism and misogyny by turning toward each other. The pair’s initial solidarity makes the show’s climactic scene unspeakably grim — despite their love and effort, they still find those old familiar demons waiting in their bed.
Photo by Richard Termine