Review: Open-air Othello at Newby Hall and Gardens

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Arriving at Newby Hall, its grandeur and beauty resplendent, is a little like going back in time. And this feeling continued as touring Shakespeare company, The Lord Chamberlain’s Men, took to their outdoor stage to perform one of the Bard’s greatest tragedies, Othello.

Named after the company of which Shakespeare himself was a part over 400 years ago, The Lord Chamberlain’s Men prides itself on presenting the Bard’s work contemporaneously: with an all-male cast and open-air performances, accompanied by Elizabethan costume and music.

And so, as an excited audience settled into their camping chairs, with views across sprawling greensward, glasses filled, nibbling on all manner of picnicking delicacies, the cast of seven transported us to a different era, into a tale brimming with jealousy, betrayal and vengeance.

Thomas Delacourt’s Machiavellian Iago assumes the role of scheming villain with sublime confidence, while Mostyn Crawford as Othello masters his character’s arc and ultimate downfall. Along with Charlie McRoberts playing Cassio, these actors retain their characters throughout, while the other four cast members multi-role 12 other parts, donning some fantastic costume, by Amy Yardley, as they go.

Convincing female depictions are given by Peter Todd as Desdemona, who, in a memorable moment sings a haunting prophetic song, and by Fletcher Garrard as maid Emilia, who proves an emotive powerhouse.

The simple set, a Mediterranean-style backdrop, incorporates windows and doors through which characters peer and appear at sudden intervals, heightening the play’s underlying sense of paranoia. The doors remain open upon the play’s tragic finale, a sign, perhaps, of secrets being unveiled, and that the end has come – literally, for a fair few ill-fated characters.

Rather unfortunately, the play was beset throughout by the noisy consequences of the national alert to mobile phones warning of the risk of wildfires, but, consummate professionals, the cast was undeterred and pushed on.

The play’s dramatic denouement mirrored, quite fittingly, the setting sun, enveloping the picnic-replete audience in the shadows of dusk, and closing off a pleasant summer's evening.

The Lord Chamberlain’s Men’s Othello is on tour until September 2027.

Lauren Crisp is a book editor, writer and keen follower of arts and culture. She reviews theatre and cultural events in and around the district in her spare time.

You can contact Lauren on laurencrispwriter@gmail.com.