Of Villains and Violence: Four County Players deserves accolades for Othello

I kiss'd thee ere I kill'd thee; no way but this / Killing myself to die upon a kiss" (Othello, Act V, Scene ii). A hush falls over the audience as the Moor of William Shakespeare’s Othello inflicts a mortal wound upon himself, falling dead upon the body of his murdered wife, Desdemona. Reveling in the cathartic spirit of the moment, the audience lets the profound sadness and wretched display of humanity penetrate the atmosphere at Orange, Virginia’s Four County Players, a theater company that puts on an entertaining and emotional rendition of one of Shakespeare’s most poignant tragedies. Every member of the cast demonstrates a marked affinity for Shakespearean English, adding linguistic beauty to a passionately acted plot. Not bad for a small town community theater; not bad at all.

While the quality of the actors is enough to please the most ardent drama lovers, the quirky ambience of the Four County playhouse and the intimate stage setting provide ample appeal to the casual theater-goer as well. A renovated school house now serves as the local community theater, and there is something inherently exciting about walking into an old schoolroom after dark. Contemporary floodlights illuminate the yellow wooden frame of the single story building and light the unpaved pathway that leads from the grassy lawn and improvised parking lot to the bright red double doors. The hall is packed for the Friday evening show, a bargain theater experience for the paltry sum of $5 per ticket. At an old-fashioned ticket window, complete with a wrought iron decorative arc that spans the sales booth, I quickly purchase a ticket and slip into the auditorium at the end of the hallway.

The simple, movie theater-esque cushioned seats of the playhouse fan out in an arc across the width of the room. About 20 rows of chairs stretch from within a foot of the stage to the far end of the playhouse, providing seating for a small audience of up to 200 people. The beauty of such a small venue is that every spectator is guaranteed a good seat. Even from the last row, the facial expressions of the actors are clearly discernible. And the gentle, downward slope of the room prevents any audience members from inadvertently obstructing the view of the theater-goers seated behind them. The vaulted ceiling of the former classroom provides great acoustic sound, and from my seat in the last row of the theater, I can clearly hear each line of the play - especially important when listening to Shakespearean dialogue.

With community theater, the quality of the actors is often less than stellar, but the performers at the Four County Players on this particular night are mostly solid practitioners of their craft. Many of the locally born and bred thespians are veterans of the Orange theatre scene who spend their days in the office and their nights and weekends on the stage. Experience is not always the best indicator of acting ability, though, as evidenced by the rather lackluster performance of Ray Smith, appearing in the title role of Othello. Though a graduate of Toronto’s Second City Theatre Conservatory and a nine-year veteran of the acting world, Smith’s portrayal of Othello lacks true emotional conviction, leaving the audience only too well aware that the man onstage is a modern actor, not a convincing embodiment of the 16th century Venetian general of Shakespearean fame. The true star of the show is a novice to the theater scene: David Vaughn Straughn, who shines as the villainous Iago. You hate to root for the scoundrel who, motivated by sheer jealousy and scorned pride, corrodes the love between the noble Othello and the virtuous Desdemona (portrayed by Claire McGurk), leaving a trail of death and destruction in his wake. Nonetheless, you somehow find yourself drawn into the compelling machinations of the articulate and emotive character. Even as you mourn for the murdered Desdemona and grieve for Othello as he realizes the error of his ways, you can’t help but feel slightly less than sad when the sometimes grating intonation of the title character comes to an end, albeit in a tragic way.

Though the acting abilities of some of the cast members of Othello are less than stellar, all of the thespians pull off the look of the 16th century Venetian soldiers and ladies that they portray; a testament to the costume and set designers of the production. The stark rouge uniforms of the men include blazers embellished with burnished gold buttons, tapering into coattails that extend the length of the frame; fitted trousers of a matching hue; and heavy, shining black boots. In the more heated scenes of the play, the characters reach for their rapiers, gripping the gilded handles of the weapons and maneuvering the slick swords in dramatic arcs and swoops so that the stage lighting glints off of the steel. In contrast to the fitted vestments of the male warriors, the leading ladies of the stage appear in voluminous dresses, tightly corseted about the waist and extending into ample skirts that could contain two wearers rather than one. Elegant detailing such as delicate lace neck and cuff lines and beaded silver edging on the bodice of the scarlet gowns (red is a fitting motif for this violent play) provide plenty of amusement for the eye.

Behind the vibrant characters, the stage is set with a scene of subtle elegance and natural splendor: a columned esplanade serves as the backdrop for the entirety of the play, with the edifice’s arches revealing a roaring seascape behind. As the play progresses from the streets of Venice to the island of Cyprus, the neutral backdrop proves surprisingly versatile. A stairway is built into the scenery, adding depth to the stage as the characters move up and down the split levels along the columned length of the playhouse. At the far left and right extremities of the platform, velvet curtains serve as the access points to the stage. Desdemona makes frequent use of these illusory exterior rooms, emerging periodically to praise, chastise, or implore her husband, Othello. The simplicity of the stage design is compensated for by the artistry of the sparse scene, which is painted in vibrant colors and set in lovely contrast to the darkened wings of the auditorium.

Despite the imperfections of the cast and a few intervals of lagging action in the play, Four County Players delivers a stirring rendition of Othello, including a finale rife with powerful emotion and cathartic effect. At bargain prices, in a unique venue, and thanks to passionate actors, community theater gets a makeover at Four County Players in Orange, VA.