Went to see Othello last night at the Theatre Royal, Plymouth.
A bit apprehensive at first, not only was it set in a northern pub, with Othello as the landlord, but when we got there dozens of coach loads of students arrived making us feel like we were on a Darby and Joan outing.
Here we go I thought, next it will be a white Othello with the remaining parts played by black actors.
I needn't have worried, the students all calmed down when it started and, despite the few times that I had to stop grinning when the words of the bard emerged from the midriff-showing chavettes of Desdemona, Emilia and Bianca, I was completely captivated.
Even the students were buzzing when they left the performance so perhaps all is not lost although others don't share my view.
Anyway this is the start of a national tour so you've still got a chance to see it. One warning - as it's fairly short, ninety minutes or so, there's no interval - so get a couple of drinks in before the start. Nothing worse than watching people in a pub drinking when you can't have one yourself.
