A Tragedy of Shakespearean Proportions

The Colorado Shakespeare Festival has kicked off, and some friends and I went recently to see a production of Othello. The plays are performed in the beautiful outdoor amphitheater on the campus of CU Boulder, and I was looking forward to checking out the area. I did a 10K that ended in the stadium fairly recently, but that's the only time I'd been on campus before. I found that it is, indeed, very pretty (and improved by the absence of students, no doubt), and since we were early we got to lounge on a lawn enjoying the beautiful weather for a bit before it was time to find our seats.

Although the amphitheater's atmosphere is wonderful, the benches aren't exactly cushy. Anticipating this, my wise friend Diana brought two stadium seats for us. To the relief of our other friends, they turned out to be unnecessary, as a huge stack of them was available to the audience near the concession stand, where snacks and beverages were for sale but coffee was free. We settled into our spots a few minutes before the 8:00 "curtain." (Figure of speech - outdoor theaters don't have curtains.)

The coffee, it turned out, was an inspired idea. Othello lasted for almost four hours. The production was, for the most part, excellent, and it was fun to sit under an open sky as it turned from blue to pink to black, but we were all pretty tired by the end. My friends and I agreed that the actors playing Iago and Othello (Emmy winner Peter Macon, of Broadway fame) were excellent. Desdemona, alas, was anything but. I'm not sure whether her character is meant to be obnoxious or, if not, whether this actress delivered her lines like fingernails on a blackboard intentionally or obliviously. All of the male characters in the play talk about being in love with her at one point or another, but it was beyond me why any of them would feel that way. I was surprised that a performance of this quality would cast such a sinker as the female lead. Perhaps I am missing something, but I can't say I really blame Othello for strangling her at the end.

Despite the tragedy of a good play blemished, we all enjoyed the show as a whole very much. My friend Laura will be going to Much Ado About Nothing, another of the plays in the festival, in July with her family and has invited us to come along with them. I just may take her up on it. I love Shakespeare's tragedies, but I'd prefer to see a comedy if I'm going to head home to a dark house at midnight after the final bows.