There’s a moment in Shakespeare Theatre Company’s scintillating staging of “Othello” when Wendell Pierce’s Moor teeters on the edge of sanity before careening into the abyss.
As the general asks Desdemona (an impeccable Olivia Cygan) to retrieve her handkerchief — an apparent smoking gun of infidelity found in another man’s chambers — his wife promptly spirals and stalls. “The handkerchief,” Othello requests, convulsively nodding through a strained smile. Desdemona’s continued pleas fall on deaf ears. “The handkerchief,” Othello repeats with the same overeager intonation, like a record stuck on repeat. “The handkerchief.”
We’re witnessing, in effect, a brain breaking in real time. Time and time again, Pierce foregrounds the tragedy of a man undone by conniving manipulation and rash jealousy. Running the gamut from joy and lust to rage and incredulity, the “Wire” actor rattles off the Shakespearean language with rhythmic allure. It’s a sublime performance from one of our finest actors.
But an Othello is only as good as his Iago, and Shakespeare Theatre favorite Ben Turner (2023’s “The Jungle” and 2024’s “Macbeth”) gamely goes toe to toe with his titan of a co-star. Slipping into director Simon Godwin’s contemporary American vision, Turner plays the vengeful ensign who orchestrates Othello’s undoing as an alpha male country boy. The skin-crawling outing is a compelling contrast to Jake Gyllenhaal, who saw Iago as more of a wounded soul opposite Denzel Washington in last year’s Broadway production. Both interpretations ring true, and it’s a treat to have seen Gyllenhaal and Turner offer fundamentally different but equally entrancing takes on the same malevolence.
As with all Godwin-directed productions, this “Othello” is a master class in dramatic clarity from thespians attuned to the Shakespearean text. Take Lucas Iverson (“The Pitt”), who plays the noble lieutenant Cassio — an unwitting pawn in Iago’s scheme — with winsome dignity and uncanny comic timing. Melanie Field, as Iago’s wife, Emilia, also manages to lift some levity from the bloodshed.
Godwin layers his staging with striking style. Scene transitions turn the militaristic backdrop into a showcase for Jonathan Goddard’s marching choreography, Shiloh Coke’s heavy metal score and Amith A. Chandrashaker’s flashing lighting. When Desdemona’s gold-sheeted bed rises into view, shortly before her inevitable demise, a drumbeat echoes through Harman Hall like a funeral procession. Susan Hilferty’s expansive set punctuates the parable’s scale.
Then there’s the stated setting from the playbill: “a modern capital.” It’s an all-too-familiar concern, after all, when one character asks of Othello, “Are his wits safe?” Lest we forget amid current events that irrational, insecure leaders are a tale as old as time.
Othello Through June 28 at Shakespeare Theatre Company, 610 F St. NW. About 2 hours 45 minutes. shakespearetheatre.org.
Here’s a roundup of two more shows on D.C.-area stages:
‘Pippin’
Speaking of old lines that hit anew: The declaration that “we’re surrounded by injustice and tyranny” from the central prince in “Pippin” gleaned knowing chuckles on opening night at Signature Theatre. But any modern resonance is simply icing on the delectable cake that is this staging of Stephen Schwartz and Roger O. Hirson’s 1972 musical, about a restless prince (an assured Brayden Bambino) in the Middle Ages, and his search for purity and purpose amid a minefield of artifice.
Matthew Gardiner’s ingenuity never ceases to amaze as the Signature artistic director (whose triumphs include “Into the Woods,” “Rent” and “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum”) once more oversees an intimate revival that doesn’t skimp on spectacle. The ace up his sleeve this time around: superb lighting by Adam Honoré, a two-time Tony nominee this year for “Ragtime” and “Cats: The Jellicle Ball.”
Honoré has the honor of bathing a who’s who of D.C. theater standouts in lush golds and reds and blues. Eric Hissom portrays Pippin’s father, the Frankish king Charlemagne, with wobbling flamboyance. Awa Sal Secka is characteristically commanding as the single mother who steals Pippin’s heart. The ever-reliable Naomi Jacobson, Maria Rizzo and Ryan Sellers each rise to the occasion when summoned.
But it’s West End regular Cedric Neal who delivers a Leading Player for the ages, circling the role that won Tonys for both Ben Vereen and Patina Miller, and putting his own spin on that mischievous emcee. It’s a tricky part: Billed as the head of the performance troupe telling Pippin’s tale, the Leading Player must entrance and intimidate. Charm and chastise. Seduce and scare. All the while, Neal’s hypnotic appeal and silky vocals shine all the brighter in Signature’s cozy Max Theatre.
It’s worth noting that “Pippin” has always been an odd musical, bifurcated between a head-spinning first act and an unhurried second. Schwartz’s score never tops the opening one-two punch of “Magic to Do” and “Corner of the Sky,” and Hirson’s book dizzyingly whips from whimsical to raunchy to violent to acerbic. In this production, however, the offbeat spirit proves intoxicating, especially when Rachel Leigh Dolan’s playful choreography and Erik Teague’s revealing costumes up the ante. Who couldn’t use a gleefully strange show during these strange times?
Pippin Through July 26 at Signature Theatre, 4200 Campbell Ave., Arlington, Virginia. About 2 hours 15 minutes. sigtheatre.org.
‘The Motion’
Christopher Chen’s “The Motion,” now at Arena Stage, is a play on the move. The mind bender, directed by Hana S. Sharif, begins as a moral exercise by way of deliberation and decorum. A sudden swerve into the surreal presents a more existential quandary. A probing examination of the human condition ensues.
Here’s the simplest of plot summations: The inimitable Nancy Robinette portrays the moderator of a debate — about the merits and morality of animal testing — among doctors and academics (Peregrine Teng Heard, Barzin Akhavan, Nikkole Salter and Nehal Joshi). But to offer more details would be a disservice. So let’s just say that this production also has some theatrical tricks in store, including Tim Mackabee’s transformative set, an elegant wordless montage and judicious audience participation.
It’s all quite engaging and intellectually stimulating, even if Chen’s script doesn’t fully land the plane. Despite the turbulence, “The Motion” is still worth the journey.
The Motion Through June 14 at Arena Stage, 1101 Sixth St. SW. About 1 hour 45 minutes. arenastage.org.
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