Bard On A Wire: Othello vs. McNulty

As a big fan of The Wire, the chance to see Jimmy McNulty take on Lester Freamon in the Crucible's recently concluded production of Othello was one I couldn't miss. But much as Lester was my favourite character in that show and Clarke Peters' Othello was convincingly regal, it was Dominic West's Iago who stole this show, bringing a much-needed levity to one of Shakespeare's darkest tragedies.

The Wire gave us ample evidence that nobody plays the lovable rogue as well as Dominic West, an actor who even managed to make serial killer Fred West frighteningly likable in ITV's recent drama, Appropriate Adult. Those two roles also demonstrated West's versatile voice: from a pitch perfect Irish Baltimore cop to a demonically charming West Country bumpkin-psychopath (not to mention his public school RP 50s newsreader in The Hour): this guy does accents better than most. Back in his native Sheffield though, West chose to play Iago for the hometown crowd as a conniving Yorkshireman. This was Iago for the Full Monty generation, a hilarious portrayal that won the audience's affiliation early on, leaving little sympathy for Othello. It didn't help that Peters chose to distance the Moor further by playing him as an increasingly pompous Spanish Jack Sparrow, with an accent straight off the Fast Show's Chanel Neus. It may just be my poor hearing, but many key lines were lost to the acento.

Nevertheless, this was still a powerful and hugely entertaining performance. Strong support was given by Alexandra Gilbreath as Iago's conflicted wife, Emilia, and Lily James as Desdemona. Thanks to West, this was one of the funniest Shakespeares I've ever seen, showing just how much room for interpretation there is in these texts. That said, I was left wondering if a better title for this production might actually have been 'Iago'. Everybody loves a rotter.

The Way Home

Early on in The Way Home, real estate agent Mindy Kramer eats dinner in a Thai restaurant and neglects to tip the waitress. In less than a couple of pages, the author allows us a tiny peak into the resentment Mindy’s waitress, Toi, feels towards the ungrateful customers she has to smile at every day as part of her working life. Much later in the book, Mindy has a tense confrontation in the same restaurant with the novel’s central protagonist, Chris Flynn, that leaves her in tears. Toi looks on, taking sadistic satisfaction in the way “the tall blond man (has) humbled the bitch and made her cry”. These are the only times we meet Toi, but it gives you an idea of the depth George Pelecanos gives to even bit-part characters in this superior thriller.

Pelecanos worked as one of the principal writers on The Wire, and fans of that show won't be disappointed by his work here. There’s that same gritty detail, a terrific ear for urban dialogue, and a plot that refuses to follow a predictable genre path. When a carpet-fitting ex-con trying to go straight finds a big bag of cash under the floorboards, you think you know exactly what’s in store. When he puts the money back and goes on with his working day, it’s the first in a series of surprises that keep you guessing right up to the final page. Unlike many crime novels, this isn’t a story of black and white – it’s a story with lots and lots of grey. Characters that do stupid, bad, wrong-headed things one moment… then try their hardest to make amends. Characters who find themselves risking everything they’ve gained for bloodthirsty revenge, then plausibly change their minds and do their best to put an end to the cycle of violence they find themselves caught up in. It's refreshing and inspirational plotting, well worth your time.