Othello - Visiting London without seeing a show would be like going to the beach and not getting in the water. The historic nature of London's theater scene makes it second to none and the sheer amount of theaters ensure that any given night of the year you can find a show. I had the great fortune of snagging tickets to a production of Othello starring David Harewood, Toby Jones, and Caitlin Fitzgerald as Othello, Iago, and Desdemona, respectively. Nothing seemed more fitting on a rainy London night than to watch a classic Shakesperean tragedy of love, jealousy, and envy. Othello is one of my favorite of Shakespeare's plays and I was content with taking just about any seat they had; I lucked out and got a seat in the upper floor that was dead center. Such a prefect seat gave me an amazing view of what is simply described as a near flawless production.  

Every performer was firing on all cylinders; Tobey Jones played Iago so convincingly honest yet so utterly despicable. David Harewood, whom I cant recall having seen in anything previously, brought the Moor of Venice to life with such command in his voice whether it was in his joy or in his anguish it shook the rafters. For the lovely and fatedly unfortunate Desdemona, Caitlin Fitzgerald's depiction leaves you heartbroken at her demise. Everything about this show was executed almost flawlessly. The set though minimally designed gave space for the actors to own every square inch of the stage (which Harewood and Jones made sure to do). The costume design was unique blend of 16th century aristocratic clothing and modern trends which worked quite well. However, first among equals in this masterful production is Tobey Jones as Iago. Productions of Othello live and die on this performance and Tobey Jones imbued Iago with such a spiteful, capricious envy that made all of his false "honest" moments all the more maddening.  

The raw emotion displayed on stage from start to finish makes the final act all the more tragic. Othello's jealousy has driven him to murder and neither innocent Desdemona nor valiant Othello can escape the wrath of the green eyed monster.  

I left the historic London Haymarket theater stricken by the whole production. I wandered the London streets on my way back to the train station thinking on the play. Some pieces of art stick with you, they linger on in your memory and you don’t mind them taking up the space. This was one of those pieces of art for me.