Local touring theatre company Bowler Crab staged two excellent performances of William Shakespeare’s Othello last week in the intimate setting of the Mermaid Inn.
The players used the full space of the function room, with only inches between them and the front row of the audience. Although I had never seen this play before and had only a sketchy idea of the storyline, the clear and direct interpretations enabled me to understand and follow the complex plot.
The cast was very strong. Particularly impressive were Oliver Towner as Iago and Maximilian Lolive (what a name!) as Cassio. Rio Attoh-Wood and Christabel Clark were excellent as Othello and Desdemona.
Othello goes later this month to London and Brighton and details are available online.
Throughout the summer Bowler Crab stages a series of outdoor shows, but there are also (safer) indoor performances as well as occasional dining experiences, where the actors perform around a dinner. One of these – A Midsummer Night’s Dream – took place at this year’s Rye Arts Festival and proved extremely popular.
Coming up for 2018 are three other Shakespeare classics. The Merchant of Venice is touring Kent, Sussex and London between May and August. There will also be dining experiences throughout the year for A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Macbeth. Dates aren’t available yet, but make a note to check out the website for details later on.
Photos courtesy Bowler Crab