When acclaimed British director Jonathan Munby was looking to cast the title role in Chicago Shakespeare Theater’s “Othello,” he crossed the pond and half the United States before coming to a halt in Oak Park.
“I knew from the first moments of our meeting that James would make a great Othello,” recalls the director of Oak Park actor and Steppenwolf ensemble member James Vincent Meredith. “It’s an incredibly difficult role to cast,” adds Munby. “It requires huge range, gravitas, vast emotion, and the ability to speak Shakespeare’s language. James is able to convey all this.”
A 1989 Evanston Township High School graduate and long-time Oak Parker, Meredith’s turn as Shakespeare’s tormented Moor is one of the most thrilling performances on stage so far this year. Running through April 10, the play, set here on a modern-day army base, is a study in the monstrous power of obsessive jealousy as well as an exploration of racism and fear. The plot begins shortly after Othello, a noble black man, marries the beautiful and blonde Desdemona. The newlyweds are over-the-moon with happiness. Othello’s supposedly best bro Iago? Not so much.
For Meredith, taking on the difficult role has been part of a joyous homecoming. With his wife Cathy and toddler Evan, Meredith has been on the road for almost three years performing a role about as far from Othello as you can get.
“I think I did 1,220 performances of ‘Book of Mormon,'” Meredith says of playing a Ugandan warlord in the mega-hit about two evangelizing Mormons in Uganda.
“I loved doing that show. Loved it,” says Meredith. “My family and I got to see the country and experience so many wonderful places. But I’ll tell you, it’s good to be back home.”
The “Book of Mormon” gig launched a chaotic time for Meredith and his wife Cathy, an elementary school teacher. When James was cast in “Book of Mormon,” they had some fast decisions to make. “Within six months, we had a baby, sold our condo and left town. It was crazy, but it was also great. We’re not nine-to-fivers,” says Meredith. “But when we hit the three-year mark on the road, we were kind of like, it’s time to go home. Put down roots again.”
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The Oak Park the Merediths returned to wasn’t quite the same as the one they left. “We got back and I was like, ‘Wait — there’s a Lou Malnati’s here now!'” says Meredith. “And the library. Before we had Evan, I didn’t realize what an amazing resource the Oak Park Public Library is.”
Playing Othello, he says, has been immensely satisfying.
“Whether you’re doing musical comedy or tragedy, it’s all about illuminating what’s going on in the character,” he says. “Part of it is that he’s an outsider — he’s a different color than everyone around him. He grew up with different customs. He’s made his name fighting wars on battlefields where it’s very clear who the enemy is. And then he comes home, gets married, and suddenly things aren’t so clear cut. He no longer can really tell who his enemies are.”
Back at home, Meredith plans on reacquainting himself with his neighborhood, which is within walking distance of Scoville Park.
“I love being able to go out the back door and having a back yard right there,” he says. “It’s great to be back living in our own actual neighborhood rather than a borrowed neighborhood.”
‘Othello,’ starring James Vincent Meredith
When: Through April 10
Where: Chicago Shakespeare Theater, 800 E. Grand Ave., Chicago
Information: 312-595-5600; Chicagoshakes.com