Othello by William Shakespeare (2004, Unabridged, Audio Cassette)

At the risk of sounding oxymoronic, this reviewer finds Arkangel’s tragedy of “Othello” a pleasure. The beautifully nuanced, evenly-cast production is arresting from its onset. David Threlfall’s Iago is dangerously multi-dimensional rather than merely malevolent: he sounds like just one of the guys with Roderigo and the soldiers, genuinely approving and admiring with Desdemona, as subtle as a snake with Othello, and cold blooded and treacherous in his asides and soliloquies. Don Warrington’s West Indian accent is disconcerting for a few moments, but he finds his stride and is an especially effective Othello when he turns from the awkward, tentative newlywed of the first act into a general, becoming a complex man of anger and action whose pathos and passion are convincing. Anne Marie Duff’s Desdemona is loving without a hint of wimpishness, and as her concern for her mate escalates into understanding and horror her unswerving loyalty reaches tragic heights. The rest of the cast glows, and Jasper Britton’s interpretation of the usually serious and stodgy Cassio in his cups is a comic triumph.