Othello: The Remix Bounces Along With Infectious Energy at Stages

Shakespeare’s Othello is a five-act tragedy that is no stranger to a 180-minute performance. Thankfully, Stages theater steers us from that slog fest and gives its Houston audience an 80-minute delight. Instead of Elizabethan English, vernacular and verse combine to create a sonically infectious world filled with hip hop beats and catchy rhymes.

In Othello: The Remix, playing in all its bombastic glory, the Q Brothers imagine Othello (Camryn Nunley) as a rapper and Desdemona as the enchanting vocalist that sings the hooks on his songs. They make their best music together and are madly in love with each other.

Cassio (Kory Laquess Pullam) and Iago (Gabriel Mullen) are members of his crew. Jealous of Cassio being pushed to record a new album over him, Iago schemes to ruin Othello’s life since Othello should have given Iago the opportunity instead. Iago manipulates Roderigo (Issac Lopez) to help break up Othello and Desdemona. Though Iago succeeds in creating a rift between Othello and Desdemona, devastation breaks out as a result.

All the tragic elements that make Othello a tragedy exist in this play. The jealousy, envy, manipulation and deceit are on full display, but the Q Brothers smartly pare down the cast to only its most important characters. When needed Iago’s wife, Emilia (Pullam), and Cassio’s groupie, Bianca (Lopez), are played in frivolous drag costuming for comedic effect. 

Eboni Bell Darcy’s invigorating direction alongside energetic performances highlight just how exhilarating Shakespeare can be. This fast moving and easily comprehensible production flows without hiccups. When the crew is performing, it feels like a concert. A mesmerizing spectacle of vibrant colors and pulsating patterns steer audiences through concerts, personal conversations and private introspection as the lighting (Janessa A. Harris) helps to build tension while punctuating key moments with bursts of brightness to keep the show a thrill.

This is a relentlessly high-energy show and while the actors’ stamina is tested at times, they never drown in their own sweat. They rap with precision and deliver the punchlines to loud audience response. Pullam stuns as the immature protege. His silly dance moves and juvenile delivery brings to life a character who would fall susceptible to any slight manipulations.

Nunley and Mullen deliver the raps that require a little more verbal dexterity due to the cleverer wordplay and rhymes. They emoted well while riding the beat and never got bogged down in the verbiage.

Lopez fascinates. There is an infectious quality anytime an actor steps on stage and visibly enjoys their role. Lopez brings personality to each role that he plays. Even when he humorously takes a brief moment to drink water during a transition, the moment comes alive through audience laughter. He gleefully sees the entertainment value in each moment he’s on stage and takes it. His spontaneity and playfulness adds to the humor of the show.

The Q Brothers’ writing is well-crafted, and the lyrics both advance the story and entertain. Rhymes are sprinkled with references to legendary rap artists, Dungeons and Dragons, and tennis references that include a cleverly apt nod to Martina Navratilova. There is something in this show for everyone, but the particular use of hip hop and humor gives this story a more youthful interpretation. The youth in mind more 18 plus than adolescent age.

If there’s any unease that comes from this production, it is the ribald references to sex and the repetitive physical gestures of the act. After a while, it veers into gratuitous territory and becomes particularly odd when the women to which they are referring either show up on stage through men in drag or in the case of Desdemona, a disembodied singing voice.

The lack of female actors becomes most noticeable toward the end when there is a feminist song, “Man’s World,” that calls out the men for their double standards toward women. While funny and entertaining to watch, the song fails to have critical bite because it undermines itself when it’s performed by men in light drag. For the most part, Emilia and Bianca are portrayed as one-dimensional stock characters who exist purely as comic relief “in this man’s world,” or, at least, in this production of the play.

Stumbling only in how it represented its female characters, the roaring production of this hip hop musical play is an evening of high-octane performances and hilarious storytelling. Head nodding or foot tapping is inevitable as the music washes over and captivates even the most vehement of hip hop detractors. This bold reimagining triumphs because it embraces the electrifying vitality of hip hop with the unlimited creative potential to breathe new life into Shakespeare’s 400-year-old stories.

Performances continue through June 9 at 7:30 p.m Wednesdays and Thursdays; 8 p.m. Fridays; 2:30 p.m. and 8 p.m. Saturdays; and 2:30 p.m. Sundays at The Gordy, 800 Rosine. For more information, call 713-537-0123 or visit stageshouston.com. $48-$84.