content: As dull as unbuttered toast; the only thing worth mentioning (briefly) is Ewan McGregor's Iago. Young, cheerful, well-spoken and winning, McGregor is the most charming Iago I have encountered in any medium. For awhile, that is very nearly enough. One understands why people like and trust this man; one also understands why no one takes him seriously as lieutenant material. But as the play progresses and Iago's cruelty deepens, McGregor's unvarying amiability seems incongruous. A strange countertextual interpretation emerges, reminiscent of Auden's trickster theory but with a novel twist of its own. In brief, Iago tries to play a harmless joke on Othello, only to see his prank spiral out of control. The poor man is forced to improvise desperately as he struggles to resolve the mess he unwittingly created. Iago as the Boy who Cried Adulteress, a feckless but innocent victim of events: that is indeed a novel take on the play, and it would be fascinating if it weren't ludicrous.