MEDIATHEK

Othello - Since it was first performed in 1604 , 'Othello' has been one of Shakespeare's most popular tragedies. Of the story of the Moor who smothers his white wife, Desdemona, out of jealousy, director Maciej Sobociński writes: "Desdemona and Othello's love is tragic from the outset, built on fragile foundations; intense passion, instinct and sensuality, based only on emotions. It is vast and electrifiying in its strength but it doesn't have the elements that can guarantee its survival. This portrayal of love is actually very topical - relationships today are, to a large extent, very similar, which is why they are fragile, temporary and prone to failure. I also wanted us to see in this 'Othello' that the Moor stands apart because of his clear, unblemished and strong sense of morality, his open and honest inner construction. Maybe that is what makes someone stand apart today.

Reviews:
"Othello's body is covered with tattoos like a Maori warrior. As though, under his clothes, he had another layer drawn. It is a corset of marks, dashes and lines, which restrains him from uprooting himself from the trap of the body, from an aggressive infringement of his own humanity. And yet simultaneously a suit of armour protecting him from the evil or good flowing from the world. The Moor is a seperate being in this reality, he doesn't give in to it and doesn't influence it. The ideal alien figure, hidden in his otherness. So much so that it is surprising that he extended his hand and reached for Desdemona. In contrast to the Moor, his lover is not a ball of instincts. She is governed by deep feelings, and the actress plays the role psychologically with an accent on her fascination with her man's difference, his animal naturalness.
(by Łukasz Drewniak, Catalogue for the "Boska Komedia" festival)

"Shakespeare is still unpredictable for the theatre. It is easy to bend his plays beyond recognition in a contemporary mirror, it is more difficult to capture them directorially. To tame the text so that it doens't loom over the stage designer. To read it with respect and not to get into fights over the poetic phrasing. Without question, Sobociński came out the winner of his stage meeting with Shakespeare."
(by Aleksandra Czapla-Oslislo, Gazeta Wyborcza Katowice)

Translation:
Stanisław Barańczak

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17th International Festival Theatre Pilsen Booklet (Printed Edition), p. 54 ff.