Othello The Remix

The Q Brothers take on Shakespeare's classic story of Othello is fresh, quirky and inspired.

The idea to modernise Shakespeare through hip-hop music and rap is seemingly out of left field and on the face of it appears to be a gimmick. But look a little closer and it's obvious why the Q Brothers, JQ and GQ looked to the man they call the original genius lyricist for the basis of their productions. Othello The Remix is the company's third such show and was first premiered at The Globe Theatre in London last year.

Othello has crawled out of the ghetto to reinvent himself as a master rapper who is at the pinnacle of career. He and his crew are set for world domination. Othello's life is as sweet as his passionate relationship with Desdemona. But all is not perfect. Iago - one of the crew - secretly covets Othello's position as the world's greatest rap artist and sets out to undermine and unseat him. Of course the rest is history and the story plays out in all its suspense, humour and tragedy.

The cast of four play all characters, interchanging between male and female in true Shakespearean fashion. The set is simple, a basic black box stage with scaffolding for the DJ and mobile gear cases covered in graffiti to provide different heights and variety onstage. Hand props, wigs and accessories are also key to telling the story.

It's hard to imagine this production being produced by any other company because it’s all about the synergies between the performers. These four dudes - JQ, GQ, Jackson Doran and Postell Pringle (and I say "dude" because they are cool - very cool in a cool kinda way - not in a self-conscious way) are tight. Two of them are brothers but watching them it’s evident that this group is a family of sorts. DJ Clayton Stamper is the essential fifth "Beatle".

I was concerned that an 80 minute show told through rap and hip-hop might just turn into a wall of sound and the story would be lost, but that certainly is not the case. This company really understands the art of producing good hip-hop, clever lyrics and crafting really good theatre that is nuanced with light and shade. The moments of silence, of which there are few, perfectly punctuate the dramatic points of this tragic tale.

Othello The Remix is a highlight of the Sydney Festival - the only tragedy is that its season is too short!

Whitney Fitzsimmons

Photographer: Prudence Upton.