Othello (New York Theatre Workshop) NYC Reviews and Tickets
Member Reviews (114)
See it if you can't get enough of WS. NYTW production is fine, but nothing special. See the superior Natl Theater Live version (modern/military).
Don't see it if you want the verse spoken well (only Craig and Oyelowo are strong). The first 20 minutes are tedious; awful pauses. Act II is stronger. Read more
See it if you want to see some fine acting, particularly from the two leads as well as Matthew Maher and David Wilson Barnes.
Don't see it if you're not super into Shakespeare.
See it if you want an excellent version of Othello. Daniel Craig & David Oyelowo are brilliant. Staging is very intimate. 3 hours flew by.
Don't see it if you like your Shakespeare to be in period dress. I care more about the acting. When Shakespeare is well done, every line is clear & relevant
See it if You like modern versions of Shakespearean tragedies played with an edge by great actors Craig & Oyelowo;superb cast in intimate setting
Don't see it if You are a traditionalist;dislike the Bard's play tweaked to show the versatility of his work brought into modern times Read more
See it if You enjoy well done Shakespeare. While long (3hrs), it was beautifully told story. Great acting, an interesting setting, fun to watch.
Don't see it if You ADORE Shakespeare: They go off script a little, and Craig's Iago could have been more evil. However, I thoroughly enjoyed it. Beautiful.
See it if A spectacular production. Craig and Oyelowo are mesmerizing. The modern day setting lends resonance. The intimate setting is perfect.
Don't see it if The seating is not the most comfortable. The set is perfection, but with audience on 3 sides, you will not see everything all the time. Read more
See it if WOW
Don't see it if scenes staged in dark places don't interest you
See it if you want to see an exquisite adaptation of Othello with captivating performances and clever production design
Don't see it if you hate Shakespeare and are only interested in going because it's a hot ticket, long scenes of darkness bother you or 3+ hours is too long Read more
Critic Reviews (36)
"Oyelowo and Craig enter the ranks of first-rate classical stage actors. I’ve never seen an 'Othello' as convincingly inexorable as this one...What’s so thrilling about this 'Othello' is that everything that occurs is so irrevocably inevitable...It’s a no-exit theater of war, invisibly stage-managed by a military underling with an instinct for human frailties...This incandescent production makes it possible for us to speak with rare understanding of this Othello—and this Iago—as they are."
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"Gold knows when to increase the volume on his contemporary touches and when simply to trust the words. This isn’t a radical re-interpretation of 'Othello' so much as a fresh coat of paint and a strong, clear reading, never forgetting our present moment...The acting throughout is vivid, muscular and great on the ear. Craig and Oyelowo are superb together, and they give the language heft and fire...Oyelowo is the most physically imposing, emotionally stricken Othello in memory."
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"Ripping good modern-dress production starring Oyelowo and Craig under Sam Gold’s masterly direction...Oyelowo easily wraps his mouth around Othello’s triple-crème verse yet makes a fully believable spectacle of the irrationality that nibbles away at all that beauty...And Craig, in his best NY stage outing to date, makes something disturbingly familiar out of his casually amoral Iago...This production brings us closer to the cold heart of sociopathy than anything outside of the nightly news."
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"Sam Gold's tremendously exciting, sensationally well-acted modern-dress production...Both actors are fighting fit in roles they seem born to play, the subtlety as well as the terrifying intensity of their work magnified by the startling intimacy of watching them up close...The brilliant match of this production's Othello and Iago is fortified by the entire ensemble's muscular performance style and vigorous grasp of the language...This visceral production is not to be missed."
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"David Oyelowo and Daniel Craig disappear utterly into their roles...With the Bard’s tricky verse mostly intact, it’s a testament to the cast’s efforts and abilities that its original intentions are telegraphed so well through gesture, inflection, and emotion...For all the rich performances and creative risk-taking onstage, it’s Oyelow’s Othello who ultimately holds the anguished heart and soul of the play in his hands...He imbues every line and gesture with timeless, luminous humanity."
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"Oyelowo makes a fierce Othello, using his imposing physical presence and resonant voice to reduce this noble character to a more primal state...Craig takes advantage of his military surroundings to add another dimension to Iago’s character. He’s still the sly villain who takes abstract delight in the destruction of his victims...The female characters are the only ones not well-served in the production’s military environment."
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"This production is more a good first try than a fully realized theatrical creation...Mr. Gold has given us yet another version of the same kind of the-time-is-now 'Othello' that I’ve seen in theaters all over the U.S...Mr. Craig's Iago is a pencil sketch rather than an oil painting, strong and forceful but devoid of poetic depth, much the same things that could be said about the production as a whole...Outside of Mr. Oyelowo, the best thing about this 'Othello' is its intimacy."
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"David Oyelowo and Daniel Craig bring exceptional technical skill and at times riveting commitment...What’s missing in Craig's performance is the caustic burn of evil that drives Iago...What seems like a determined lack of connection with evil is not the only off-note of Gold’s production. It seems designed to disengage the audience at every turn...Oyelowo, however, builds in near-terrifying power to the play’s complicated climax."
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