The Bard returns to public television
Maryland Public Television airs adaption of Shakespeare's "Othello"

OWINGS MILLS, MD: One of Britain's most exciting contemporary screenwriters takes on the isle's most celebrated poet in a 21st-century adaptation of "Othello." ExxonMobil Masterpiece Theatre's "Othello" airs on Maryland Public Television on Monday, January 28, 2002, 9:00 p.m.

Written by Andrew Davies (Take a Girl Like You, Wives and Daughters) and based on the tragedy by William Shakespeare, "Othello" has all the sex, corruption and betrayal of the original, translated to a convincing modern setting - New Scotland Yard in the era of race riots, neo-Nazis and political spin.

The new version takes its cues not only from the Bard but from a notorious real-life controversy dramatized in Masterpiece Theatre's "The Murder of Stephen Lawrence" (airing January 21), which covers the 1993 killing of a black teenager in London and the ensuing botched police investigation that led to charges of institutional racism.

"Othello" stars Eamonn Walker (Oz) as John Othello, an up-and-coming black officer with the London Metropolitan Police. Keeley Hawes (Wives and Daughters, Our Mutual Friend) is the love of his life, Dessie. Christopher Eccleston (Elizabeth) plays the duplicitous Ben Jago, who seems destined for the top job at the Met, but loses it to Othello after he dramatically quells a race riot sparked by the death of a black man in police custody.

Those familiar with Shakespeare's original will recognize Davies' updated versions of Othello the Moor, his wife Desdemona and arch-villain Iago. Davies also transforms Cassio into Michael Cass (Richard Coyle), Emilia into Lulu (Rachael Stirling), Brabantio into Jimmy Brabant (Joss Ackland) and Roderigo into Alan Roderick (Del Synott).

For the famous handkerchief, on which all the jealousy, torment and charged symbolism of Shakespeare's play hinges, Davies substitutes a golden robe. As befits the police setting, the crisis turns on DNA analysis of the garment for sexual secretions.
Davies also tweaks the Bard's plot. "A lot of people have noticed that Iago is under-motivated in pursuing his vendetta against Othello," Davies observes. "He almost gives too many reasons for what he does, and none of them are wholly convincing. I thought it would be interesting if Iago - Jago as I call him - was somebody who at the beginning was in a superior position to Othello and that Othello gets promoted over his head. When this happens, Jago discovers feelings about Othello that he never knew he had: latent racism, fierce envy and jealousy."

Underwriters: Exxonmobil Corporation. Co-producers: London Weekend Television and WGBH Boston in association with Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Executive producers: Jo Wright and Michele Buck, LWT; Rebecca Eaton, WGBH Boston. Producers: Anne Pivcevic and Julie Gardner. Director: Geoff Saxe. Writer: Andrew Davies, based on the play by William Shakespeare. Format: CC STEREO DVS Widescreen where available. Online: PBS.org

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