First published on Friday 07 February 2003: THIS IS HAMPSHIRE
Othello
by Andrew White

OTHELLO is among those rare plays that features a handkerchief as one of its central plot devices.

It's the seemingly innocent discovery of a mislaid hankie that prompts the jealous rage of the tragic title character - a noble warrior whose trusting nature is turned against him by the evil, manipulative Iago and ends up murdering his own wife.

Generally considered one of the more accessible of Shakespeare's tragedies, Othello has been given an added contemporary touch by being set in a modern-day army barracks.

A co-production by the Haymarket and Concentric Circles, the show stars Ricky Fearon as Othello, Christopher Middleton as Iago and Southampton actor Michael Rickwood as Roderigo. Ricky, playing Othello for the second time, has previously been seen in West Side Story, The Wind in the Willows and Accidental Death of an Anarchist.

February 7 - 22, Haymarket Theatre, Basingstoke. Performance: 7.45 (2pm matinees on Feb 13 and 22). Tickets: from £8.50. Box office: 01256 465566.