Othello

Frantic Assembly’s hugely praised ‘Othello’ returns to The Lowry. And if you haven’t already seen it, make sure you do.

Updating the settings of classics can be hit or miss - you sometimes get the feeling that directors just want to show off - but Scott Graham’s production, set inside a contemporary snooker hall, gives flight to the sparkling text and incorporates the company’s trademark choreography into the telling of this oft told tale.

So it’s all pool cues, broken bottles and the idiocy of lads instead of rapiers and lords, but the power of this production is in the ease with which it allows a text from around 1603 to say something about today.

It really is a fantastic production, with some surprises thrown in which really heighten the drama. If you’ve got kids who think Shakespeare isn’t for them, this will change their minds. There’s enough sex, violence, male bravado and relevance to make even the most lethargic of teens sit up and shiver.

A free post-show talk on 19 November should provide fascinating insights into Frantic Assembly’s quite brilliant adaptation.