Matthew d'Ancona's Culture: This Othello Is a Tour de Force
At the center of Tom Morris’s inspired staging stands Toby Jones’s exceptional portrayal of Iago — the most compelling interpretation I’ve ever encountered.
“A being essentially large and grand, towering above his fellows, holding a volume of force which in repose ensures pre-eminence without an effort, and in commotion reminds us rather of the fury of the elements than of the tumult of common human passion.”
Shakespearean scholar A.C. Bradley wrote these words about Othello, but they seem perfectly suited to describe David Harewood’s commanding performance. Under Morris’s direction, Harewood revisits the role he first brought to life at the National Theatre in 1997 — a groundbreaking moment, as no Black actor had portrayed Othello there before.
Harewood’s Othello radiates immense dignity and mythic authority as a Venetian general, which makes his unraveling under jealousy and deceit both tragic and mesmerizing.
Caitlin FitzGerald’s Desdemona, too, stands apart. Far from a meek victim, she is deeply loving yet candid in her frustration as manipulation corrodes her marriage, crying out, “O, these men, these men!”
What unites the production is Jones’s magnetic Iago — a performance of rare intensity, anchoring a production that redefines Shakespeare’s tragedy for a new generation.
Author’s Summary
Tom Morris’s Othello shines through Toby Jones’s electrifying Iago and David Harewood’s dignified general, transforming Shakespeare’s tragedy into a startlingly human drama of love and manipulation.