nypost.com:
It's not just critics who hate Peter Sellars' production of "Othello" starring Philip Seymour Hoffman at NYU's Skirball Center. Audiences hate it too, with most leaving at intermission.
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Max Bialystock's dream come true.
Wait, who's playing Othello? Come now...
``Othello is a brave and competent soldier of advanced years and Moorish background in the service of the Venetian Republic. He elopes with Desdemona, the beautiful daughter of a respected Venetian senator. After being deployed to Cyprus, Othello is manipulated by his ensign, Iago, into believing Desdemona is an adultress. Othello murders her before killing himself.''
``..There exists debate over whether Othello was a Barbary Moor or a Black Moor. Some consider him to be a Barbary Moor rather than a Black Moor, such as E.A.J. Honigmann,[5] and cite various references such as contradictory evidence and an ambassador of the Moors from the Barbary Coast arriving in England some time before Othello was written.[6] It should be noted that the exact date that Othello was written is unknown, though sources indicate that it was written between 1601 and 1610, sometime after the Moorish delegation.''
Yep! Either one describes Hoffman to a tee.
John Ortiz
Yes John Ortiz played Othello, not Hoffman.
I was thinking the same thing. Whoever plays Othello IS the play. The greatest Othello of the 20th century was Paul Robeson. The way things are headed I'm afraid they are going to start using white men in black face.
I remember many, many years ago seeing Al Pacino do Richard III on Broadway in a "limited engagement". Same result. We held on for 3 acts and finally left. The audience was decimated at that point - only about 50 people remained. The gutter outside was filled with programs (some of them savagely ripped apart). Their "limited engagement" ended up being more limited that they ever imagined.
I wouldn't blame Philip. My favorite role he was in was in "Boogie Nights". Loved that movie!!
I think PSH is a brilliant actor, but even brilliant actors screw up once in awhile. Ever see Lawrence Olivier in The Betsy? Also, it sounds like this interpretation of Othello sucked big time.
Peter Sellars was calling the shots in this production- not PSH.
oh, I thought this was for philip seymour hoffman in "the lion king"
othello? but the picture
Just read Hilton Als review in the New Yorker, And he seems to do a pretty informed criticism of Seller's adaptation. And he his pretty unforgiving of PSH, I'm surprised about Als' take on Hoffman, but I can see it. I've noticed that Iago can be a hard bit to not ham up. There is always THAT role in a Shakespeare work.
http://www.newyorker.com/arts/critics/theatre/2009/10/05/091005crth_theatre_als
Peter Sellars's, sorry.
Shakespeare is like so 500 years ago, obviously Peter Sellars is a far greater theatrical genius. Right?
I posted a comment, but it seems to have been rejected, but since I am one of the people who actually saw this play and saw the whole thing, I think my comments are relevant.
The interpretation was fatally flawed. The director tried to interpret the play with only 7 characters nd took gross liberites with the plot, story and characters.
The barroom fight that causes Cassio's fall from grace was changed to a barroom rape of the merged Bianca/soldier character. Desdamona witnesses Cassio being pulled off of Bianca and pleas for mercy for Cassio while Bianca sobs within view. Later in the second part of the play, the recovering rape victim, soldier/Bianca demands Cassio to explain to her why he has been absent form her bed.
This interpretation doesn't work with the text nor does this work with the characterization of the female characters. Shakespeare was so brilliant with his development of his strong female characters. I felt that this interpretation was unrealistic in how the women reacted to a rape. And the interpretation didn't work with the text. It was forced, contrived and actually offensive.
But, in fairness to the actors, their performances were strong.
Thanks for the comment. Very insightful. I can understand why people walked out. One of the things that I've always loved about Shakespeare is how he sometimes had strong female characters centuries before anyone else.
Kate----Taming of the Shrew----strong female character.
Beatrice----Much Ado About Nothing----strong female character.
Lady Macbeth----Macbeth------strong female character.
Cordelia----King Lear----strong female character.
Desdemona----Othello----not so much
Thank God I dodged this bomb and you have my condolences and respect for sitting through it. It takes a special arrogance to think you can improve on or tamper with Shakespeare's genius.
Whew! I dodged this bomb and you have my condolences and respect for sitting through it. It takes a special arrogance to think you can improve on or tamper with Shakespeare's genius.
I appreciated some aspects of Sellar's work in the play but definitely some others (including the rape and the fallout from it as described above) didn't work. But I reject the notion that Shakespeare shouldn't be tampered with. Sellars has a reputation for retooling things- anyone who has a problem with that should just stay away from his work. If you hate nouvelle cuisine, would you follow a chef who specializes in it from restaurant to restaurant just so you can show up and hate the food?
I frankly also didn't think much of the rest of the LAByrinth cast were up to Hoffman's level, and the second half sagged because more of it was on their shoulders than his.
Oh I am so glad to get a chance to comment on this!
I am huge fan of theatre--Shakespeare especially--and I appreciate avante garde interpretation, but this interpretation of Othello sucked.
I all for exploring the text in new ways, but it has to work. It has to work with the text and it has to work with Shakespeare's brilliant development of characters. THIS DID NOT.
Sellars tried to interpret the play with only 7 characters. So he converted the Cassio bar fight into a rape--a barroom rape--of Bianca. WTF! And then Desdamona coming right up to the scene witnessing Cassio pulled off of the sobbing Bianca starts pleading Cassio's case. I don't think so. And then in the second part of the show, former rape victim, Bianca, is demanding to know why Cassio has been avoiding her bed. As a woman, I was actually offended with this interpretation, and I don't offend easily.
Also this interpretation was 4 hours long and then they asked us to stay for a discussion afterwards. I was tempted to stay to tell the director how misguided I felt interpreation was, but my butt was asleep and I was looking forward to a 40 minute standing ride on the subway.
Again, I was looking forward to an interesting and challenging interpretion. What I saw was arrogant and misguided. But in defense of the cast, all of the actors gave strong performances. The fault was with the director and the dramaturge
Peter Sellars has ruined many an opera for me. He is one of those apparent ego-driven directors who have to add their own directorial touches such as the men in "tightie-whities" for Don Giovanni.
Now he has turned to Shakespeare and has done the same for him.
I'm sure the audience didn't walk out on P.S.T. but rather the production.
what's the porblem in the studion; wou the insle diamons tracks don't know where to go?
no bi g deal?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2aaevAh5fAE&NR=1
This guy is a great actor? Who's the suspect in the play?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mEXUnZ8eBSQ&feature=fvw
http://wonderwall.msn.com/movies/who-is-esquires-sexiest-woman-alive-for-2009-1522484.story?GT1=28135
Shakespear is Shakespear, just leave it alone.
When Shakespeare is interpreted outside of its intended period of time, the result is usually terrible, no matter how good the actors are.
There's something not right about Phillip, IMO. He's an odd one.
Huh? He seems pretty normal to me.
And what's wrong with being odd, anyway?
Really? I always thought he was extremely talented. I like him.
Agenttlady...you are obviously not personally familiar with artists or actors.....usually the most brilliant of the lot are a bit eccentric. Expand your mind!
Not in my opinion. Some of the best plays I've ever seen have taken wildly different interpretations. One had Julius Caeser as a 1920's gangster another, Edward the V I think, had costume and set design as quasi german/italian facists. And I just saw a great Comedy of Errors two weeks ago that had an urban/rap theme.
As someone pointed out earlier, even when Shakespeare performed the plays the actors were in dress for that period not the period being portrayed.
Yeah there are some great reinterpretations of the plays.
There was a great little Macbeth set in an east-end pub a few years back.
People forget, the plays themselves weren't historically accurate when they were originally performed.
It's one thing to change the set or costumes to match a certain time period. It's quite another to change the integrity of the plot and characters.
must b 1 of his art movies
but ovr ur heads
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Posted: 10- 2-09 08:13 AM