Ryan’s Review: Shakespeare is alive at Casa Clara

The New Place Players’ production of ‘Othello’ brings the Bard into 2023

March 3, 2023 Rose Ryan

Elliot Johnson plays Othello in The New Place Players’ production at Casa Clara Photo: Carol Rosegg

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Live chamber music, full Renaissance costumes and an intimate theater that brings the play, quite literally, right into your lap. What more could you ask for?

The New Place Players have a one-of-a-kind theatrical experience being offered right now at Casa Clara – a unique foundry and artist studio nestled into the heart of Gramercy. This extraordinary townhouse apartment has been transformed into a worthy backdrop for the latest reimagining of The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice.

Daniel Keene (Musician/Lute), Alanah Allen as Desdemona, Helen Herbert as Emilia and Conor Andrew Hall as Iago in a scene from New Place Players’ production of “Othello” at Casa Clara Photo: Carol Rosegg

It’s the first production since their pandemic-induced hiatus, for the New Place Players, a theater company that describes itself as “an ensemble of actors and musicians which creates dynamic, fully realized productions of Shakespeare’s plays.”

Alanah Allen as Desdemona and Eliott Johnson as Othello in a scene from The New Place Players’ production of “Othello” at Casa Clara Photo credit: Carol Rosegg

The characters break the fourth wall in the unique performance space. Photo: Carol Rosegg

Part of this dynamism is created by actors breaking the fourth wall. Be prepared, as you line the performance space, to lock eyes with Desdemona during one of her loving soliloquies, or cross the sight of the scheming Iago as he plots his next diabolical move.

Elliot Johnson as Othello and Alanah Allen as his confused but doting wife create the spark that drives the players on. Before that, it’s the roused panic of Brabantio, vividly brought to life here by the excellent and powerful Matthew Dudley, which makes clear the stakes and which crystallizes the critical racial theme.

The maelstrom in total, though, is felt to revolve around the mind of one Conor Andrew Hall, who’s performance as the famous villain makes you believe that it really might be Iago’s play after all.

The intimate theater brings the play close to the audience. Photo Carol Rosegg

In a time where it seems like other directors feel the need to strip Shakespeare down and find a more minimalistic approach with each iteration, this production is truly a breath of fresh air that thrusts you right into the world where the story is meant to be.

Directors Makenna Masenheimer and Ianne Fields Stewart make the argument here that Shakespeare done classically can still be relevant.

Good news for readers, the play was recently extended through March 25th.

The company is led by Artistic Director Craig Bacon, who also teaches voice and text at the Actors’ Studio MFA program at Pace University. Much of the cast and creative team is composed of teachers and former students of either Pace or the Actors Studio, in addition to several Brooklynites.

Executive producer Chelsea Bryn Lockie, set designer Shawn Lewis, and associate lighting designer Jeremy Stein are all Brooklyn-based.

Brooklyn ‘in the house’ in this production

Eliott Johnson
Conor Hall
Chelsea Bryn Lockie
Shawn Lewis
Makenna Masenheimer
Ianne Fields Stewart
Jeremy Stein
Megan Gaber
Helen Herbert
Kyra Bowie
Rose Kanj
Alanah Allen
Matthew Appleby
Topher Kielbasa
Anna Bikales

Tickets for Othello are available at https://newplaceplayers.org. Tickets may also be purchased in person at the venue a half hour prior to the performance.
Running Time: 2:45 minutes (with an intermission)