This week, Jared Bowen reviews two new plays beyond Boston and speaks with the internationally acclaimed artist Ai Weiwei about his latest book of photography.
“Othello,” presented by the American Repertory Theater through Feb. 9.
The American Repertory Theater presents one of William Shakespeare’s darkest tragedies still offering deep resonance today. “Othello” is the story of the titular Moorish general who is resented by those around him for his “otherness,” his power, and his marriage to Desdemona, daughter of an influential senator. As the play descends into scheming and murder, director Bill Rauch (All The Way) brings a contemporary twist to the Bard’s story by moving the setting to the present-day and making Othello an admiral in the U.S. Navy.
Jared describes “Othello” as “exceptionally fine theater. This Othello disturbingly charts a societal propensity for hatred — as wrenching and destructive as when Shakespeare first mapped it out 400 years ago.”
“The Night Watch,” presented by the Gamm Theatre through Feb. 10.
At the Gamm Theatre, an original play by Olivier-nominated playwright Hattie Naylor makes its U.S. debut. Starting in post-World War II London, “The Night Watch” rewinds the lives of three women and a young man to the chaos of the Blitz, shedding light on the choices they made in an uncertain time and how those choices bind them together. Adapted from the best-selling novel by Sarah Waters, “The Night Watch” is directed by Tony Estrella.
Jared says the Gamm’s production of “The Night Watch” “deftly captures London falling and the consequential futility of purpose.”
“Ai Weiwei: Beijing Photographs 1993-2003,” available on Feb. 19.
One of China’s most celebrated contemporary artists — and outspoken critics — has a new book of photography documenting his life in China. “Ai Weiwei: Beijing Photographs 1993-2003” presents a decade of the artist’s life through a series of autobiographical photographs. Featuring 600 mostly black and white photos from an archive of 40,000, the book chronicles Ai Weiwei’s return to China to tend to his ailing father.
“I never had strong emotional relations with my father,” says Ai. “Deeply, he affected me a lot. He's a poet and he's [an] artist. But, we don't show it in communist society.”
What art events outside of Boston would you like to see us cover? Tell Jared about it on Facebook or Twitter!
