CHIMACUM — In the cowfields of rural Jefferson County, betrayal and tragedy are brewing, stirred up by a sociopath with serious issues.
It’s all centered on the converted Methodist church on Center Road that now houses the Paradise Theatre School.
Inside, swords clash and tempers flare, as Shakespeare’s classic tale of jealousy and murder unfolds.
“Othello” is often called Shakes peare’s most dramatic play, and it’s not something community theater groups jump into lightly.
With tongue-twisting dialogue and gut-wrenching emotions, it has tested the mettle of actors from Orson Welles to Laurence Fishburne, both of whom have played the lead.
“Daunting” would not be too strong a word for the play.
But the Paradise Theatre School cast pulls it off admirably.
Charles Duncan plays Othello, while the play’s director, Erik Van Beuzekom, plays the twisted Iago.
A pregnant-in-real-life Heather Poulson plays the fair Desdemona, while Sam Cavallero plays the gentleman Roderigo and Scott Nottlete plays Cassio, Othello’s lieutenant.
Don White plays Brabantio, Desdemona’s father, Emily Strickland plays Emilia, Iago’s wife, and Camille Hildebrandt plays Montano, governor of Cyprus.
Van Beuzekom said having Duncan willing to play the lead was essential to the production.
“We couldn’t do it without Charles,” he said. “This is who he is. It’s a tribute to his skills. He’s wanted to portray Othello for some 30 years. A big reason we chose this play was to have Charles perform the lead.”
Duncan has appeared in several local theater productions, including the lead in “Scrooge” at the Key City playhouse and in “Cat’s Cradle.”
He was born in British Guyana and spent his early adulthood in London.
For the black actor, Othello was the holy grail of roles.
“Othello is certainly a role any black actor would want to do,” he said. “Shakespeare wrote it for a black actor. There’s no question about it.”
Duncan first portrayed Othello in an acting class in England but said he had no idea at the time that the brooding warrior was black.
Othello’s race is only mentioned indirectly, when he is called “the Moor,” or “a black ram,” but for many years he was played by white actors in black face.
A major element of the play is that Othello secretly marries Desdemona, who is usually played by a blue-eyed blonde.
As Othello explains her seemingly unlikely attraction to him, “She loved me for the dangers I had pass’d, and I loved her that she did pity them.”
The major hurdle for Duncan and the other actors was mastering the complex dialogue.
“Two weeks into rehearsal, it was like standing on stage for two hours doing tongue twisters,” he said.
Tale for today
Despite the cunning linguistics, the theme of “Othello” is as relevant today as when it was written 400 years ago.
Van Beuzekom spent six months paring down the original script to a manageable two hours, without losing any of the impact.
“This is unbelievable writing,” Duncan said. “It’s not outdated, in spite of how old it is. Everything that is said in ‘Othello’ you could slap it down anywhere in the world and it would play. . . It’s how we treat each other as human beings.”
And how they treat each other in “Othello” is not very good.
Iago is angered when Othello chooses Cassio to be his lieutenant instead of him and sets out to destroy Othello’s relationship with both Cassio and Desdemona in a scorched earth plan of revenge.
Iago is played convincingly by Van Beuzekom, who taps into the character’s sociopathic tendencies.
“Shakespeare introduces a modern deviant mind into a classical setting,” he said. “Before Ted Bundy, before Charles Manson, Shakespeare originated a criminal mind and brought a psychology of deviant human behavior to the forefront before psychology was a known term.”
And then there’s the sword fighting.
Van Beuzekom is an associate instructor with Dueling Arts International and has previously directed the sword fights in “Romeo and Juliet” for Key City Public Theatre.
The stage is not large in the intimate, 50-seat theater, and the swordfighting takes up every inch of it. Patrons in the front row will appreciate the low wall surrounding the stage.
Van Beuzekom also draws on his skills as a stage combat instructor.
The play features the most elaborate set and costumes the little theater has ever done, although there are no set changes to slow the intense action.
The production team includes scenic painters Michelle Stay and Ellen Ryan, costume designers Conseulo Aduviso and Susan Latham and prop manager Harriet Stay.
The rural setting is reminiscent of bygone days when Shakespearian companies traveled by horse-drawn wagons, bringing culture to frontier towns, but the performance is anything but rustic.
With its violent ending and deranged Iago, it’s not recommended for children younger than 12.
“Othello” opens at the Paradise Theatre School, 161 Center Road, 8 p.m. today.
It continues with 8 p.m. shows Saturday and March 11, 12, 13, 18, 19, 20, 26 and 27 and a 2 p.m. matinee on March 27.
Tickets are $12 general admission, with pay-what-you-can nights March 11 and 18.
“Othello” tickets are available at The Food Co-op in Port Townsend, by phone at 800-838-3006 or online at www.brownpapertickets.com.
