We are well into Shakespeare’s exposé of the green-eyed monster when the cast is in a huddle of sorts as one organism on the floor. Actor/Director Eric Tucker as Iago is mid-stream in his continuing exposition of how he will use the title character’s weakness to undo him. This has been Tucker’s effect from the gitgo, enchanting us as he tells us the how’s and why’s of bringing the title character to ruin. We hang on Tucker's every word. We inhale his gestures and dramatic emphases as our new air.
In a millisecond breakaway from absorbing Tucker/Iago’s words, we see Othello (Ryan Quinn) outstretched supine using Iago’s thigh as pillow, with multi-tasking actors Susannah Hoffman and Susannah Millonzi also fixed into this freeze frame sculpture as Tucker/Iago holds forth. You too might feel a need to suppress a gasp at your momentary awareness of just how thoroughly Tucker and the entire ensemble has eased you into suspension of disbelief and then some. Acting does not get better than this.
Four Actors Cover All in Bedlam’s Othello
Props are few in this production. A black rope tied neatly into a noose animates the first scene’s focus on the blackness of The Moor, imbuing Othello’s recount of former slavery with terrifying strange fruit overtones. Christmas lights are strung to create the drunken rave scene where Cassio gets undone. We know we are in Venice because the soundtrack of a circa ’60’s travel promotion movie fills the air— a lighthearted touch that this reviewer was surprised to sense she was the only one laughing out loud each time it played.
Unencumbered by scenery, the four actors bring every character to life. We are constantly tickled to see the cleverness of the transitions they employ. Susannah Hoffman’s Desdemona asks Susannah Hoffman’s Cassio a question and she flips her stance in a flash. Susannah Millonzi’s Roderigo’s hint of a lisp quickly vanishes when she switches on her deep thinking Emilia. In a profound way, the ubiquitous character switches by these cast members put a spotlight on just how many permutations of the title character Ryan Quinn must bring to life, which he indeed does so masterfully. Shakespeare details uxoricide as kisses mingling with strangling, and Quinn’s Othello has the elasticity to make this seem as natural as sunrise and sunset.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
CAST:
Susannah Hoffman, Susannah Millonzi, Ryan Quinn, and Eric Tucker
CREATIVE TEAM:
Eric Tucker (Director/Sound Design), Caitlin Morley (Associate Director), Maya Shore (Assistant Director), Sam Debell (Costume Designer), Cheyenne Sykes (Lighting Designer), Ana Muñoz (Production Stage Manager)
WHEN:
April 19 – May 31, 2026
WHERE:
West End Theatre
263 West 86th Street,
New York, NY 10024
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About the Author: Amy Munice
Amy Munice is Editor-in-Chief and Co-Publisher of Picture This Post. She covers books, dance, film, theater, music, museums and travel. Prior to founding Picture This Post, Amy was a freelance writer and global PR specialist for decades—writing and ghostwriting thousands of articles and promotional communications on a wide range of technical and not-so-technical topics.
