Western Edge Youth Arts’ Edge Ensemble brings us a modern-day reimagining of Shakespeare’s Othello, set in a boxing gym, with young people of diverse backgrounds trying to navigate their places in the gym and in their communities.
It’s incredibly refreshing to see contemporary Australia represented by Vietnamese, Sudanese, Ghanaian, Samoan, Croatian and Maori actors, whose characters incorporate their cultures while still reflecting the personalities of Shakespeare’s original characters – the use of monologue to provide insight into each character’s heritage works particularly well. And as with Othello, Iago digs deep into themes of masculinity, misogyny, racism and sexual politics, made all the more potent and complex through varying cultural attitudes.
On the whole, there are some elements that fall short. The pacing never seems to settle into a comfortable groove – scene changes are often stilted where they should be either smooth or sharp, and lines occasionally lacking punch (no pun intended) or nuance in their delivery. Despite this, there are still plenty of enjoyable theatrical devices – monologue soundtracks provided a cappella by the actors, choreographed movement, bodies used as sets, rhythmic lines like beat poetry chanted in unison – some of which propel the play more than others. Iago is an admirable effort from a youth organisation we’re lucky to have; it just needs a little more polish and development.
