Othello

'O! beware, my lord, of jealousy; It is the green-ey'd monster which doth mock The meat it feeds on.'

Bruiser Theatre Company exploded onto the stage with an electrifying contemporary take on Shakespeare's most brutal and gripping thriller-tragedy of love, paranoia, jealousy and murder. The story of General Othello, his love for the beautiful Desdemona and their tragic downfall at the hands of the scheming and manipulative Iago.

This brand new Bruiser adaptation by Patrick J. O'Reilly (Stewart Parker Award Winner) was Bare-knuckle Shakespeare for 2011. None of Shakespeare's script is modernised, yet those who might have be fearful of the Bard found this gritty, breathless two-hour drama exhilarating and relevant!

The six-strong cast were Stanley Browne, Nick Devlin, Dagmar Doring, Terence Keeley, Daithi Mac Suibhne and Clare McMahon. It was great to have Daithi back with us after his performance in our 2010 production of 'Arturo Ui' and we were delighted to be working with the other five cast members for the first time.

Lisa was joined on the production by Bruiser's fantastic Stage Management team, Rory Casey and Patrick Freeman, as well as our long-time collaborator Sean Paul O'Rawe on Lighting Design. Diana Ennis also rejoined us, after working on 'Low Pay? Don't Pay!' as Design Consultant. The show was produced by Bruiser Company Manager Stephen Beggs.

Reviews

 
"This Bruiser Company presentation is an exciting example of how a 
 reduced cast and a small set can take a great play anywhere and 
 celebrate its immensity...Diana Ennis's design...with Sean Paul 
 O'Rawe's lighting conveying the uniformity of tone and approach 
 which are so beautifully and accurately pitched...Brilliant is 
 an adjective which springs to mind...what a lamp director Lisa 
 May's steady hand shines on the play's dark corners..." 
 Mary Leland in The Irish Times

"I brought my son with me and I'd say you've converted him to 
 theatre for life - tremendously exciting production."
 Facebook posting

"Director Lisa May has pinpointed the humanity and contradictions, 
 which constitute the heart and soul of 'Othello'. In this tightly 
 focused, dramatically claustrophobic production, she shines a 
 piercing light into the twists and turns of human behaviour...
 This absorbing revival soundly delivers a new 'Othello' for our 
 times, raising the play's profile to long-overdue recognition."
 Jane Coyle in Irish Theatre Magazine

"Excellent! Very effective stage setting. I loved this production.
 The acting was superb and very emotional."
 Audience Feedback Form

"Tale of commanding Moor packs powerful punch...Director Lisa 
 May's sense of physical theatre is superb and her Othello, 
 Londoner Stanley Browne, was a commanding Moor. There was 
 brilliant use of large doorframes...strokes of theatrical genius 
 such as the sexual shadow play between Desdemona and Cassio...
 the second half, one of Shakespeare's most affecting...was 
 terrific. Passionate and fast-moving, the conclusion of the tale 
 of a man who loved not wisely but too well was almost unbearable 
 to witness."
 Jane Hardy in The Belfast Telegraph

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