Otello
Houston Grand Opera

© Steven Brown – Houston Chronicle: “Johan Engels’ stylized set, with its side-sloped floor, symbolized the inner instability that sets up Otello to become Iago’s victim”

© Sydney Boyd – Houstonia: “Visually, this production was purposeful and forward-looking. A huge spherical lantern swung wildly in the opening scene to evoke the raging ocean. The production used an off-kilter stage curved like a shallow bowl, suggesting both a tossing ship and a sense of tragic psychological confusion. (…) Johan Engels, who created a stunning design for last season’s The Passenger, again demonstrated his talents by emphasizing a fading palette of red and white in the set and costumes. (…) Cross-shaped scaffolding, flanked by a trinity of squares, underlined the opera’s Christian themes. 

Trailer Otello 2014 © Houston Grand Opera