"Ruben Santiago-Hudson’s elegantly staged production is good-looking, well-spoken and intelligent, as easy on the ears as it is on the eyes. But you know that you’re not going to be dreaming about it later, or wishing that you could see it again. It’s a picturesque, nicely paced show that engages without enthralling or unsettling...While Iwuji and Stoll turn in crisp and lucid performances as the great general Othello and his envious ensign Iago, they don’t really stand out in a talented crowd."
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"A satisfying and somewhat safe domestic tragedy rather than an epistemological nightmare...There’s a concrete practicality to nearly every choice, with the result that there’s little here to surprise you, but a lot to keep you entertained...Stoll’s Iago is a revelation. He cannot be written off as a demon, you must instead reckon with the evil in him because it finds a distant echo in the petty jealousies of your own heart."
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“An ‘Othello’ that does its best to put the focus on the killer and his doomed Desdemona...It’s an approach that works here and there....Iwuji couldn’t be more straightforward as the fatally jealous ‘Othello’...Stoll plays Iago from an altogether different angle, viciousness disguised as affability...His conversational, contemporary spin contrasts nicely with Iwuji’s more classical delivery – they’re a vivid pair...Most indelible, though, is Wright...Emilia is the voice that rings loudest.”
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"The primary tone of the accessibly middle-of-the-road revival directed by Ruben Santiago-Hudson is beige. Not just because that’s the hue of the arch-filled set, plus some gilded costumes. But because the stakes in this Shakes don’t feel particularly high. Even when people start dropping like flies...The production seldom grabs...Stoll brings a contemporary glibness that leaches gravity...The show’s MVP is Alison Wright as Iago’s wife Emilia...She helps end things on a high."
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"Stoll's rollicking portrayal of the villainous Iago in Shakespeare's classic takes some getting used to...His undeniably entertaining performance is the most unorthodox aspect of Ruben Santiago-Hudson's otherwise slavishly traditional staging...The approach feels refreshing...Unfortunately, that lack of daringness also results in the evening feeling stodgy and dull...the production lacks the passion and urgency necessary to make us care about the tragic fates of its principal figures."
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"Director Ruben Santiago-Hudson’s confidently unfussy staging, and many of the performances by a cast that includes several Public Theater regulars, are a thrill to witness...As villianous Iago, Stoll brings a comic’s timing and puts over even very well known lines as if he is speaking extemporaneously. It is not only a delight to watch, it is a boon to anyone who avoids Shakespeare for fear of missing the meaning...This is a traditional take on the Moor, with all the trimmings."
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"The first half of the three-hour production runs smoothly, with fine performances from Corey Stoll as an expressive and jovial Iago and Chukwudi Iwuji as an unfazed, unusually young Othello. Alison Wright also stands out as Iago’s outspoken wife Emilia. But following intermission, as Iago’s scheme to destroy Othello rushes to its bitter end, the production loses its drive and dramatic tension, and the famous final scene is especially ineffective."
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“Santiago-Hudson has successfully led his cast to performances that make all of these characters complicated, contradictory, and fully human...Far from an irrational brute, Iwuji portrays a military man ahead of his time...Stoll's Iago is confident, funny, and relaxed...Wright gives a standout performance...The production's one major misstep, Wieland's synth-heavy original compositions...Luckily, it doesn't much detract from Santiago-Hudson's timely production.”
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