Othello @ The Lowry, Salford

Preview by Kate Morris | 06 Nov 2014

Frantic Assembly reprise their highly acclaimed adaptation of Othello this month at The Lowry. The company has long been established as a vehicle for thrilling, energetic theatre, attracting fresh audiences by offering classic work with a contemporary twist – and as the saying goes, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.

Formed in 1994, the company has developed a unique style that combines movement, design, music and text to create vivid and dynamic productions. It is therefore perhaps an intelligent move to attempt Shakespeare’s Othello, a tragic thriller of paranoia, jealousy, sex and murder.

Assembly have fused the classic Shakespearian text with the company’s trademark choreography, bringing the Jacobean drama to the forefront of the 21st century by placing the action in a derelict northern pub. The decision to set the production here compliments the play’s motifs of danger and male dominance, and the standard pub features of snooker tables, fruit machines and the ladies' loos all act as an extension of these themes and motifs.

The setting also serves to suggest accessibility: Frantic Assembly are ever careful to deconstruct the notion that Shakespeare productions should create inferiority complexes among their audiences.

The attention to detail is second to none. Choreographed by Scott Graham and Steven Hoggett, the cast moves from naturalism to expressionism – all the while exuding the tension of male magnetism competing for dominance. However, the fluidity and gracefulness of the choreography manages to retain the threat that so characterises the play, stand-out moments occurring as actors are hurled across the stage with snooker cues and flounder among broken glass.

This imaginative reinvention offers something for both the Shakespeare virgins and the purists, and with Frantic Assembly at the helm, it is sure to be a good 'un.

18-29 Nov, various times, £22-£26