Othello

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. Shakespeare's legendary tragedy is revisited in this spirited and entertaining production that ran in London from November 2007 to February 2008. The flawless, talented cast features Ewan McGregor as the conniving Iago, Chiwetel Ejiofor as Othello (whose performance won him the Olivier Award as best actor) and Kelly Reilly as Desdemona. There is also excellent support from Tom Hiddleston (as Cassio) and Michelle Fairley (as Emilia). This audio production is a rousing, theatrical performance expertly guided by director Michael Grandage. Complete with a musical score as well as full sound effects and background noises, listening is so enjoyable that the play speeds by at breakneck pace. An enclosed booklet contains color photographs of the production and a well-written essay by drama professor Russell Jackson. There's also an entertaining bonus DVD disc featuring interviews with the cast and crew. Brilliantly produced in all departments, listening is the next best thing to seeing it live. (July)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Audio CD edition.

From School Library Journal

Gr 10 Up-Naxos AudioBooks' top-drawer Classic Drama Series blissfully continues with this exquisite rendition of Othello starring Hugh Quarshie, Anton Lesser, Emma Fielding, and a full cast of professional English actors with extensive credits in the Royal National Theatre, BBC Radio Drama Company, and the Royal Shakespeare Company. Shakespeare's most domestic tragedy is an exceedingly complex journey through jealousy, self-doubt, inadequacies, and societal acceptance. Passed over for military promotion, Iago, perhaps Shakespeare's most nefarious character, manipulates Othello's downfall, culminating in the murder of his beloved wife, Desdemona, and Othello's subsequent suicide. Under David Timson's stewardship as director, the story is beautifully and simply told, embellished only with intermittent brassy flourishes of classical music and a dramatic echo effect and throbbing heart beat to underscore Othello's chaotic descent and rage. While the entire cast is excellent, the trio of Quarshie (Othello), Lesser (Iago), and Fielding (Desdemona) are outstanding. An outline of each individual cassette, complete synopsis, full notes regarding the text, and cast biographies are included in a compact 24-page supplemental booklet. For all collections.-Barry X. Miller, Austin Public Library, TX
Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

This impressive audio is a version of a London theatrical performance featuring McGregor as Iago, Chiwetel Ejiofor in the role of Othello, and Kelly Reilly playing Desdemona. In a studio recording session, the actors “reproduced as closely as possible the stage production.” Authentic sound effects and background music further enhance the presentation. Experiencing a play aurally is different than viewing a stage performance, and sometimes it is difficult to distinguish between the voices in the predominantly male cast. Nevertheless, this is an excellent vehicle for introducing the classic tragedy to students and Shakespeare fans. An accompanying DVD includes interviews with cast members. Their discussions of the characters, analyses of motivations, and decisions on delivering lines are thoughtfully presented. These fascinating commentaries add immeasurably to listeners’ comprehension of the play and the acting process. --Barbara Baskin --This text refers to the Audio CD edition.

Review

...an award-winning production of 'Othello' featuring Chiwetel Ejiofor, Ewan McGregor, ...and many others. We would all like to spend our days reading in quiet, of course, if our lives allowed it. But if you don t have this time, consider this as a consolation: McGregor as the cunning Iago. By Janus, commuting has just gotten better --LA Times - Nick Owchar

This impressive audio is a version of a London theatrical performance...Authentic sound effects and background music further enhance the presentation...this is an excellent vehicle for introducing the classic tragedy to students and Shakespeare fans. An accompanying DVD includes interviews with cast members. Their discussions of the characters, analyses of motivations, and decisions on delivering lines are thoughtfully presented. These fascinating commentaries add immeasurably to listeners' comprehension of the play and the acting process. --Booklist - Barbara Baskin --This text refers to the Audio CD edition.

Book Description

John Dover Wilson's New Shakespeare, published between 1921 and 1966, became the classic Cambridge edition of Shakespeare's plays and poems until the 1980s. The series, long since out-of-print, is now reissued. Each work contains a lengthy and lively introduction, main text, and substantial notes and glossary. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From the Publisher

Founded in 1906 by J.M. Dent, the Everyman Library has always tried to make the best books ever written available to the greatest number of people at the lowest possible price. Unique editorial features that help Everyman Paperback Classics stand out from the crowd include: a leading scholar or literary critic's introduction to the text, a biography of the author, a chronology of her or his life and times, a historical selection of criticism, and a concise plot summary. All books published since 1993 have also been completely restyled: all type has been reset, to offer a clarity and ease of reading unique among editions of the classics; a vibrant, full-color cover design now complements these great texts with beautiful contemporary works of art. But the best feature must be Everyman's uniquely low price. Each Everyman title offers these extensive materials at a price that competes with the most inexpensive editions on the market-but Everyman Paperbacks have durable binding, quality paper, and the highest editorial and scholarly standards. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From the Inside Flap

An exciting new edition of the complete works of Shakespeare with these features:  Illustrated with photographs from New York Shakespeare Festival productions, vivid readable readable introductions for each play by noted scholar David Bevington, a lively personal foreword by Joseph Papp, an insightful essay on the play in performance, modern spelling and pronunciation, up-to-date annotated bibliographies, and convenient listing of key passages.


From the Paperback edition. --This text refers to the Audio Cassette edition.

From the Back Cover

In this study of excellence and the horrific consequences of breaches of trust, Shakespeare has sculpted some of his most memorable characters. The great tragedy hurls itself towards the wreckage of a hero and a marriage, as the seemingly indomitable Othello falls under the pall of a diabolical villain. Containing relics of the miracle play and of Italian myth, Shakespeare's tragedy is most concertedly a portrait of jealousy, deceit and waste. This authoritative edition, one of the most vital editions available, includes facing-page text and notes, a chronology of Shakespeare's life and times, and a rich selection of critical and theatrical responses to each play over the centuries. Everyman's edition also offers a unique foreword discussing performance of the play by James Earl Jones. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

William Shakespeare was born in April 1564 in the town of Stratford-upon-Avon, on England’s Avon River. When he was eighteen, he married Anne Hathaway. The couple had three children—an older daughter Susanna and twins, Judith and Hamnet. Hamnet, Shakespeare’s only son, died in childhood. The bulk of Shakespeare’s working life was spent in the theater world of London, where he established himself professionally by the early 1590s. He enjoyed success not only as a playwright and poet, but also as an actor and shareholder in an acting company. Although some think that sometime between 1610 and 1613 Shakespeare retired from the theater and returned home to Stratford, where he died in 1616, others believe that he may have continued to work in London until close to his death.

Barbara A. Mowat is Director of Research emerita at the Folger Shakespeare Library, Consulting Editor of Shakespeare Quarterly, and author of The Dramaturgy of Shakespeare’s Romances and of essays on Shakespeare’s plays and their editing.

Paul Werstine is Professor of English at the Graduate School and at King’s University College at Western University. He is a general editor of the New Variorum Shakespeare and author of Early Modern Playhouse Manuscripts and the Editing of Shakespeare and of many papers and articles on the printing and editing of Shakespeare’s plays