A cool summer night kissed with a gentle breeze, the electric hum of thousands of excited audience members, and the clash of car horns mixed with the primal sounds of crickets chirping provided the perfect backdrop to one of Boston’s most anticipated summer events, the Commonwealth Shakespeare Company’s Shakespeare on the Common.  This year we are treated to Othello, arguably  Shakespeare’s most beautifully written tragedy.

What a fitting homage to the great William Shakespeare that the audience is able to see his plays performed in such an authentic and historical way.  While Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre had partial covering (much like today’s football stadiums) most of the stage and many of the seats were exposed to the elements and at the mercy of the weather.  Seeing Shakespeare outside is a rare peek into the historical significance of theatre through the ages, and The Commonwealth Shakespeare Company has kept that integrity while building a beautiful and professional venue to showcase their talented cast.

From curtain up, Patrick Lynch’s simple yet bold set design was well utilized throughout the five act play.  With a long wading pool, large revolving walls, and several balcony and staircase entrances, the audience was able to feel an essence of varied time and space with only minimal set dressings.  The design created the perfect backdrop for the performers, using the beauty of the park itself to provide perfect contrast.

Seth Gilliam, a celebrated stage and screen actor, embodied the Moor.  I was immediately taken by his countenance and stature.  Unlike many productions I have seen where Othello is portrayed by a football-player sized statue of a man, Gilliam is a less imposing character.  Rather than heft and mass, he has a graceful and stately air about him that immediately made me sit up and pay attention.  He gave a powerful performance.  Emotionally committed in every way, Gilliam created an Othello that is far more likable, more sympathetic than is often the depiction.  A perfect consort to Gilliam’s Othello is Marianna Bassham as Desdemona.  Bassham is statuesque, with more confidence than your traditional Desdemona.  In fact, the two provide us with a realistic depiction of this power couple- not an overbearing brute and his waifish, vapid bride, but a modern power couple who compliment each others sophistication and relish in each others success.  They provide a delicious chemistry on stage both in their union and in their undoing.  Unfortunately I was less than impressed by James Waterston as Iago.  His delivery lacked nuance, and his voice lacked range.  I was surprised to see someone flub so many lines in one production.  He stood out even more because of his excellent company, but regardless, more than a week into runs I  think that dropping a line or more every scene  is a bit too much.  I wouldn’t write him off completely though, his scenes with Gilliam are very good, and the man has endurance- he’s got the most lines in the show (even more of a reason to get them under control, I say).

The lead players are complimented by an excellent supporting cast, Dan Roach plays a handsome and sincere Cassio, and McCaela Donovan is an enchanting Bianca, I found myself wanting to see more of the character.  A standing ovation, though, is saved exclusively for Adrianne Krstansky who played Emilia.  Emilia is one of my favorite female Shakespeare characters and Krstansky played her to perfection.  A severe, ample, and passionate woman, I envision a strong and brooding woman in the roll, someone who finally has the courage and conviction to stand up to Iago’s treachery- and Krstansky gave me everything I wanted.  I was so glad that the bulk of her text was still in the show.  Often much of Emilia’s part gets cut from the show to save time, but this treatment of Othello celebrated her in all her glory, and I was delighted.  Each character was dressed in a beautiful contemporary twist on 1940′s fashion, and costume designer David Israel Reynoso put them together perfectly.  I loved the ladies’ head pieces.

The success of this production must be attributed to the hard work of director Steven Maler and his excellent production team.  Maler captured the intimacy of a great theatrical tragedy, and amplified it not only to suit a crowd of ten thousand, but made it carry weight and beauty across a very distracting urban setting, with food and drink, noise, and the elements of nature in stiff competition for audience member’s attention.  But each subtle joke, each famous line, each passionate battle was riveting and captured the huge audience.  I have never heard an outdoor space so silent as in the finale of act five, even the many children were completely focused on the stage.  It must have appeared eerie to an outside observer.

I would recommend seeing Shakespeare on the Common to anyone in Boston.  It’s free, it’s different, it’s cultural, and it’s fun.  But even more-so I would recommend that they see this excellent production of Othello regardless of where it was playing.  I caution would-be theatre goers to arrive early for good seats, and bring a chair of some sort rather than a blanket.  It’s hard to sit up for three hours in a small space without some kind of back support, so I was grateful for mine.  Also, bug spray.  It is one wonderful and worthwhile summer night in Bean Town.

Actors From Left: Seth Gilliam (Othello), Arthur Barlas (Senator), Brandon Drea (Ensemble), Fred Sullivan (Brabantio), Arthur Waldstein (Senator), Marianna Bassham (Desdemona), Mike Schadler (Ensemble), John McGinnis (Duke of Venice) © Photo by Andrew Brilliant/Brilliantpictures Inc