Othello is a tragedy by William Shakespeare [1].

The original play

The full title of the play is The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice. Also referred to as Othello, or The Moor of Venice or simply as Othello. Possibly written in 1603 or 1604, and first performed in 1604, the play was apparently based on Un Capitano Moro ("A Moorish Captain"), a short story first published in 1565, written by Cinthio[2], a disciple of Boccaccio.

Othello and South Africa

In the early 19th century this was the most popular Shakespeare play in Cape Town, at least 15 performances being done between 1800 and 1864. This includes one travesty and three productions by a Dutch amateur groups Door Yver Bloeit de Kunst and Vlyt en Kunst, in Dutch translation. However, most probably because of its racial overtones, the play was seldom performed in the later 19th and most of the 20th centuries, though the play was regularly studied by University students.

It resurfaced in the later part of the 20th century, influenced by the eventual release of the 1965 Laurence Olivier film in the 1970s and the gradual relaxing of the Apartheid regulations in the 1980s. In 1972 a provocative adaptation, Othello Slegs Blankes was done at the Space Theatre (without an "Othello"), and in 1975 an Afrikaans version of the play with Othello played in black-face. The first black Othello in the country was played by John Kani in a landmark production directed for the Market Theatre by Janet Suzman in 1986.

The play and its plot have taken many forms over the years, including a variety of films, operas, ballets, and other stage presentations. (For a list of international translations and adaptations, see for example the Wikipedia [3] entry on the play.)

Below we list adaptations created and/or performed in South Africa.

South African translations and/or adaptations of the text

Translations: The play has been translated into a number of South African languages:

Translated into Afrikaans by Anna S. Pohl, published by Human & Rousseau, in 1976.

Adaptations done in South Africa include:

(See full details of the South Affrican performances in the list below)

Othello Travestie by Maurice G. Dowling is described as "an operatic burlesque burletta", first performed at the Liver Theatre, Liverpool in March 1834 and later at the Strand Theatre London. Published in London by Thomas Hailes Lacy, 1834. Performed in Cape Town, on 13 May, 1842.

Othello Slegs Blankes ("Othello For Whites Only") is an adaptation by Donald Howarth for the Space Theatre Cape Town in 1972. The play is performed without the black character of Othello appearing on stage. The play text is unpublished , but the original playscript is held by NELM (Collection: SIMON, Barney]: 1995. 11. 1. 48).

The South African productions of the play and various adaptations

1818: A performance in the African Theatre, Cape Town (with The Poor Soldier as afterpiece) by the Gentlemen Amateurs in conjunction with Mr Cooke and his ladies, on 24 October, 1818; as a benefit for the Liverpool actress Miss Williams.

1829: Performed in English as Othello, or The Moor of Venice in the African Theatre, Cape Town, on 9 December, with as afterpiece The Wags of Windsor (Colman Jr), by the visiting professional actor H. Booth, supported by a number of local amateurs. Booth not only appeared in the roles of "Othello" and "Looney Mactmolter" in the afterpiece, but also sang a song as interlude.

1831: Performed in English as by "All the World's a Stage" on 14 May, with Past Ten O'clock, and a Rainy Night (Dibdin) as afterpiece.

1834: Performed in English as Othello, or The Moor of Venice by a "Private Amateur Company" (either a civil society, or a garrison company) in the Amateur Theatre (Liefhebbery Toneel) on 20 August, with A Day at the Fair (Somerset) as afterpiece.

1836: Performed in Dutch as Othello, of De Jaloersche Zwart ("Othello, or The Jealous Black") by Vlyt en Kunst in the Liefhebbery Toneel (Hope Street Theatre)in Cape Town on 19 August 1837, directed by C.E. Boniface. The rest of the programme consisted of De Logen om Best Wil (Garrick). The production appears to have been successful, but did elicit some criticism from a writer called "Philemon" who protested at the gruesome and immoral nature of the play.

1837: Performed in Dutch as Othello, of De Moor van Venetien by Vlyt en Kunst in the Liefhebbery Toneel (Hope Street Theatre) in Cape Town on 19 August 1837, directed by C.E. Boniface. The rest of the programme consisted of Dirk Menschenschrik (Holberg) and some tricks by "een Groote Baviaan" as afterpiece. The musical society De Getrouwheid assisted in the evening's entertainment.

1842: Othello Travestie (Dowling) performed by the Garrison Players in the Garrison Theatre, Cape Town, on 13 May, as an afterpiece to The Irish Attorney (Bernard). The performers included Mr Wellesley ("The Moor"), Mr D. M'Donald ("Desdemona") and Mr Priestly ("Iago"). Repeated on the 19th May apparently.

1852: Performed in Cape Town by members of the Garrison Players, including Captain Hall and Lieutenant Johnson, helped by local English amateurs, on 24 March, 1852, with as afterpiece Charles the Second, or The Merry Monarch (Payne). The performance was part of three evenings done "for the benefit of the unfortunate soldiers who persished in H.M.Steamer Birkenhead". Unfortunately it appears that the three performances had apparently not served their intended purpose, as they eventually ran at a loss of £30.

1895: Performed and taken on tour by W.J. Holloway, opening in Johannesburg on December 26th.

1946: Produced by Frank Hammerton for the Cape Town Repertory Theatre Society at the Little Theatre. With E. Clifford Jones, Dan Bosman, Hazel Casson, Pietro Nolte, Mary Dean, Rosa Lussman, Dan Bosman, Frank Hammerton.

1957: Rhodes University Dramatic Society performances of Othello, the Moor of Venice, produced by Guy Butler.

1970: Directed by Leonard Schach at Maynardville starring Bernard Brown, Louis Burke, Cecilia Sonnenberg, Jeanne Wennberg, Michael Drin, Don Maguire, Christopher Hale, Geoffrey Frederick, Richard Poore, Ronald Fenton, Kerry Marsh. Decor by Pamela Lewis, costumes by Jennifer Craig.

1970: Presented by NAPAC Drama at the Alhambra Theatre, Durban, directed by Daniel Thorndike, from 9 September 1970.

1972: Othello Slegs Blankes produced at The Space (Cape Town) in 1972. The text was adapted, written and directed by Donald Howarth, and featured John Badenhorst, Limpie Basson, Peter Benedix, Mavourneen Bryceland, Yvonne Bryceland, Ben Dekker, Val Donald, Anthony Flesch, Keith Grenville, David Haynes, John Kennedy, Charles Kidd, Charles Kinsman, Icky Kurgan, Michael McGovern, Paul Slabolepszy, Michael Swinton, David Nissen, Harry Victor. Costumes by Aubrey Couling, lighting by Brian Astbury, music by David Nissen and stage management by Bee Berman.

1975: Shortly after the release of the 1965 Laurence Olivier film in South Africa in the 1970s, PACT produced an Afrikaans version, in a translation by Anna S. Pohl. Breytenbach Theatre and Alexander Theatre. The production featured Louis van Niekerk in the lead role in black-face, Sandra Prinsloo as Desdemona and Marius Weyers as Iago, Tobie Cronjé also included in the cast, and was directed by Francois Swart.

1977: Presented by KRUIK Toneel at the Nico Malan Theatre, opening 29 January. The Pohl Afrikaans translation was used, direction by Pieter Fourie, decor, costumes and lighting by Raimond Schoop. The cast included Marius Weyers (Othello), Pieter Geldenhuys, Johan Esterhuizen, Cobus Rossouw(on loan from SWAPAC), Mees Xteen, Johan Botha, Marko van der Colff, James Blanckenberg, Neels Coetzee, Liz Dick (Desdemona), Sandra Ferreira, Tarina Kleyn, Chris Truter, Henry Hopkins, Fitz Morley, Willem de la Querra, Billy de la Querra, Martin Crous.

1977: Performed by SWAPAC in Windhoek, using the same Afrikaans translation.

1978: Port Elizabeth Shakespearean Festival 1978 Mannville production in English directed by Helen Mann.

1982: Maynardville, opening 8 January 1982 directed by Roy Sargeant for CAPAB with Robert Stephens as Othello, Richard Grant as Cassio and Neil McCarthy as Montano, also starring Bobby Heaney (Roderigo), Michael Richard (Iago), Hugh Rouse (Brabantio), Marko van der Colff (Duke), James Irwin (Gratiano), John Maytham (a senator), Louise Saint-Claire (Desdemona), Fiona Ramsay (Emilia), Janet Buckland (Bianca) and Roger Dwyer (Lodovico). Lighting by Brian Kennedy, decor and costumes by Dicky Longhurst, music by Michael Tuffin. Henry Goodman was the fight director.

1986: The first black Othello in the country was played by John Kani in a landmark production directed for the Market Theatre by Janet Suzman in 1986, with designs by Johan Engels. Iago was superbly played by Richard Haines, while Joanna Weinberg played Desdemona. (A film of this production was shown on BBC television).

1998: Directed by Megan Wilson at the Amphitheatre, Wits, Johannesburg.

2001: Maynardville 12 January to 24 February 2001, directed by Keith Grenville with Hakeem Kae-Kazim as Othello.

2010: Performed at the Wits Amphitheatre with an all-student cast at the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, during April, 2010, directed by John Kani and Sarah Roberts

2013

The Playbill Theatre Company performed it in Johannesburg's Jo'burg Theatre, directed by Denel Honeyball, with Muntu Ngubane, Aimee Goldsmith, Craig Wainwright, Miles Petzer, Glen Biederman-Pam, Ryan Dittman, John Whitely, Liesel Retief and Nadia Woodward.

2015: Performed at Maynardville, directed by Fred Abrahamse with set and costume designs by Marcel Meyer, lighting design by Faheem Bardien, original music score by Charl-Johan Lingenfelder.

Sources

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Othello

Dowling, M. M. G. (183). Othello travestie: an operatic burlesque burletta. London: T.H. Lacy. (Facsimile version of the text of the original text, Hathi Trust[4]).

F.C.L. Bosman, 1928. Drama en Toneel in Suid-Afrika, Deel I: 1652-1855. Pretoria: J.H. de Bussy. [5]: pp. 204, 215, 338-9, 393-5, 401-3

Richard Foulkes. 2006. Performing Shakespeare in the Age of Empire. Cambridge University Press[6]

Brian Astbury, 1979.

Donald Inskip, 1977. p 127

Jill Fletcher, 1994

Schwartz, 199*

http://www.artlink.co.za/news_article.htm?contentID=33538

Trek, 10(13):18, 1945.

Teaterwoordeboek, Vaktaalburo, 1977.

http://dramachicks.wordpress.com/2012/01/24/views-and-reviews-ophelia-thinks-harder-by-jean-betts-and-william-shakespeare/

Maynardville theatre programme, 1982.

Go to the ESAT Bibliography