It’s long been a tradition to make Shakespeare more accessible to modern audiences by staging the Bard’s plays in a more familiar setting. I’ve seen stage productions and movies of Romeo and Juliet as spoiled brats in Los Angeles, the Taming of the Shrew in the New York mob scene, and Macbeth in the competitive scramble of corporate America.

Director Karl Sikkenga, founder and artistic director of Brevity Shakespeare, has moved Shakespeare’s Othello and his army from Venice and Cyprus to the Old West of San Francisco and Santa Catalina Island. The story remains the same, but in a more condensed version and with some adjustments to match the play with its new setting.

Sikkenga’s Brevity Shakespeare and PTD Productions are collaborating on the staging of Othello at the Riverside Arts Center in Ypsilanti.

In Brevity’s version of Othello, it’s 1881, and a U.S. Army company is stationed in San Francisco. Othello is a decorated leader, devoted to his men and devoted to his beautiful wife, Desdemona.

Othello leans on his most trusted officer, Iago. But Iago isn’t happy. His career is stalled, he secretly despises his superior, and wants the glory for himself. With the help of a ne’er-do-well “rich dandy” Roderigo, Iago sets out to make Othello jealous of his wife. Iago has slowly, slyly convinced his boss that Desdemona is (wrongly) having an affair with a dashing but careless officer, Cassio.

The interesting thing about Othello is that he is not the most interesting character in the play. Iago is the primary focus, the force of evil and betrayal. It’s more Iago’s story than Othello’s, no matter how noble the general may be. This may be even more true in Sikkenga’s condensed version.

The play opens in a San Francisco bar where the army officers gather to frolic, drink, and fight with each other. Sikkenga opens with an interesting bit of magic. Iago shows his gift for manipulation by stopping action, switching drinks, placing Cassio’s arm around Iago’s wife, and switching hands at a poker table. These tricks show his powers in the imaginative opening more than some of his soliloquies.

LeVale Walker plays Iago. He does a fine job of making the character both loathsome and oddly likable at times. Walker speaks the language well and makes it clear that each innocent whisper in Othello’s ear is a prelude to the play's shattering end. Walker’s slim frame also gives him a dancer’s presence that seems to add to the magic of his deadly words.

Cameron Graham plays Iago’s foil and henchman Roderigo. Graham’s facial expressions nicely capture every nuance of his horror and his desperate need to pay back debts. He is also drawn to Desdemona, and Graham captures Roderigo’s concern.

ShaRod Collins plays Othello. Collins is big, a rough presence, a voice that can go loud or fall to a whisper. Othello’s easy seduction by Iago is always a little disturbing. Collins plays his shattered love for Desdemona from extended rage to deep regret.

Indigo Devito plays Desdemona, a paragon of honesty and true love. Devito, with a small body, delicate walk, and excellent command of the Bard’s language, brings Desdemona to life.

In other key roles are Karrie Waarla as Iago’s long-suffering wife and the voice of conscience. Andrew Saint John plays a sometimes dashing and sometimes drunk Cassio, a skirt chaser and an easy mark for Iago.

Sikkenga has taken on a difficult play. Some scenes are a bit awkward, and the condensed version makes it even harder to understand why Othello is so easily controlled by Iago. The fight scenes are nicely staged in a typical Shakespearean style, even if it is in San Francisco (which had its own street brawls).

Brevity and PTD allow playgoers to enjoy theatre in many different ways.

For Brevity, PTD offered the Riverside Arts Center as a great venue for Shakespeare, and it would be great to see more collaborations between the two companies. Brevity will be offering productions of Much Ado About Nothing in May, A Tempest in August, and Julius Caesar in December. PTD will be staging John Patrick Shanley’s Doubt in February.

Hugh Gallagher has written theater and film reviews over a 40-year newspaper career and was most recently the managing editor of the Observer & Eccentric Newspapers in suburban Detroit.   

"Othello" will be presented November 14-22 on Thursday through Sunday at the Riverside Arts Center, 76 North Hamilton Street, Ypsilanti. For tickets and more information, go to onthestage.tickets, ptdproductions.com, or brevityshakes.org.