Comment: The Stage, Protecting Shakespeare

The first in a new (non-regular) feature! This was spurred by an article in The Stage by associate editor Lyn Gardner, which I found tremendously valuable and would like to share. My thoughts below.

Lyn Gardner: Chekhov and Shakespeare do not need ‘protecting’

In this article, Lyn Gardner responds to comments made by theatre traditonalists on her Guardian review of the Liverpool Everyman production of Othello. Director Gemma Bodinetz made a bold move by reimagining Othello as a lesbian, casting Golda Rosheuvel in the title role opposite Emily Hughes as Desdemona. In giving this 400-year-old play such a powerful 21st century resonance, this production 'makes us sit up and see the play afresh' - but for some, this fresh revival pushed boundaries too far. One comment read: 'Dear William. You are so lucky to be dead'.

This is problematic.

Firstly, the notion that Shakespeare would be 'rolling in his grave' at such an alteration to his play is ludicrous. If the Bard were to turn over every time one of his plays was remade with aspects not adhering to the original 16th century practices, he'd have revolved so often and so quickly that he'd have risen from his grave, re-animated. Gardner makes the point that Chekov would be flattered by the continuing popularity of his works - no doubt Shakespeare would, too. Being the forward-thinking, innovative artist his works suggest him to have been, he would likely have opened his arms to all the ways in which the 21st century world has helped reimagine and recommunicate his stories. And he'd undoubtedly have been heart-warmed to see how, 400 years later, audiences across the world are still finding connection with his writings.

Casting a black, gay, female actor in the role of Othello brings forward more than just the issue of race - the discourse surrounding gender and sexuality are also put under the microscope. Othello becomes a female general in a military consisting mostly of men, with power and influence deemed above her station as a woman; Iago's motivations therefore arise out of sexism, as well as racism. It also invites us to examine what gender does and doesn't mean: a woman can have aspirations to serve in the military, can be as courageous and tough as men, and can rise through the ranks to positions of power - but this doesn't mean she has to be masculine, or 'butch'. Further to just switching out genders, in keeping Desdemona female and portraying the couple as lesbian, this production has sought to increase queer visibility in classical drama.

While representation, respectful representation, of the LGBTQ+ community in media and the arts is still lacking, there have been a few shining examples recently: the National Theatre's Angels in America (now playing on Broadway); the Young Vic's The Inheritance (soon to transfer to the West End); multi-award-winning musical Everybody's Talking About Jamie by Sheffield Theatres; and the RSC's 2017 production of Salomé starring Matthew Tennyson as a gender-fluid Salomé, to name a few. The problem with such productions is that, in being an overtly queer play or being marketed as such, theatre-goers who wish to avoid LGBTQ+ storylines can skip out on these productions. What Bodinetz's production of Othello does, in introducing queer representation into one of Shakespeare's great tragedies, is to increase visibility to a wider theatre audience. It also brings to a 400-year-old play what the above-mentioned productions have - an reflection of life now, in the 21st century world. As Gardner argues: 'with any play, we want it to feel as if it has been written for us and written just now'. For a queer person, to see something of yourself in such a well-known character does a world of good in terms of self-understanding and self-acceptance; it gives you a sense of inclusion, of connection. As for those outside the LGBTQ+ community - a little bit more understanding and acceptance can't hurt, either.

So, to the issue of whether or not Shakespeare's works should be protected from such modernisation.

To the Guardian reader who addressed his comment to 'Dear William': to assume that Shakespeare would have be appalled by a lesbian Othello is a perception that has no grounding, and is thus meaningless. For all we know, Shakespeare himself might have been queer, or if he lived with us now, might count himself as a part of the LGBTQ+ community. Still, all this is irrelevant. Shakespeare has been dead for over 400 years, and his works have long since become a part of the public domain, to be reinterpreted and reimagined however might be wished by modern dramatists and thespians. This, after all, is crucial - if Renaissance plays were only allowed to be produced with 16th-century original practices, directors, actors, and audiences would have lost interest long ago. As Gardner puts it: 'theatre has to move on, or it dies'.

Furthermore, to express outrage at a lesbian Othello conveys only one thing - homophobia. Unless the person behind the comment has also expressed outrage at every modernised production (which would be more than a few), at every gender-switch (think every female Mercutio, Cassius, Feste), every instance of reimagination that they believe would have left the Bard rolling in his grave, then the only conclusion is that they are homophobic. Selecting which aspects to be offended by is revealing an insecurity which says far more about you than the offending parties. Open your mind a little, or count theatre out of the things you participate in.

Now, to end on a lighter note. Bodinetz's production of Othello looks fantastic, gaining four star reviews in The Times and The Stage, and five stars in local Liverpool media. I was lucky enough to see Rosheuvel portraying a female Mercutio in Emma Rice's 2017 production of Romeo and Juliet, where her high-energy performance, particularly during the troubling 'Queen Mab' speech, had the audience rapt. Her clear delivery and emotional depth when portraying Mercutio's death make me positive she is equally as astounding in the role of Othello.


Othello runs at the Liverpool Everyman until 10 July, 2018. Watch the trailer below.

Photo and article credits: 
Lyn Gardner photo, by The Stage, found here.
Othello production photo, by Jonathan Keenan, found here. 
Shakespeare celebrations, by Dylan Martinez, found here.
Angels in America production photo, by Helen Maybanks, found here.
Everybody's Talking About Jamie production photo, by Alastair Muir, found here.

Article: The Stage, Lyn Gardner, 'Chekov and Shakespeare do not need protecting', here.
Article: The Guardian, Lyn Gardner, 'Othello review – lesbian Moor boldly puts gender under microscope', here.
Article: The Guardian, Lyn Gardner, 'Othello as an out lesbian: why Golda Rosheuvel's time is now', here.