Nine Moons

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While there have been many sequels to the plays of Shakespeare (ie. & Juliet, Juliet in Mantua, The Tamer Tamed, etc.), there have been few prequels. Actor Keith Hamilton Cobb whose one man play American Moor describes his experiences playing Othello has now written a prequel to this Shakespearean tragedy. Part of “The Untitled Othello Project” from the Blessed Unrest Theatre Company in association with Sacred Heart University, the new play is called Nine Moons. Although Cobb is a very accomplished actor, as a playwright he has forgotten that theater needs a dramatic event. Otherwise, a play is just a great deal of talk as it is here.

Nine Moons introduces us to just four of the characters in Shakespeare’s play and takes place in the home of Brabantio, senator father to the unmarried and motherless Desdemona. We also meet Othello, a mercenary, first referred to as Ot’Teo (and later Othello) when he first appears as the newly named General of the Venetian army, and Michael Cassio, newly created second lieutenant, a childhood companion of Desdemona, and the officer assigned to keep an eye on Othello who is from West Africa and not native to Venice. Nine Moons might have been a more engaging play had there been additional characters interacting.

Although Cobb makes references to Iago, Othello’s, second-in-command, and Barbary, the maid to Desdemona’s late mother who brought her up, Nine Moons does not tell us anything we don’t already know from Shakespeare’s play. Since the one thing we are waiting for is Othello’s wooing of Desdemona which will result in their elopement, this does not begin until one hour and five minutes into this 115 minute play. What transpires before that is chit chat about the state of Venice and Cyprus, Othello’s unease in this new city, and Cassio’s army ambitions and drinking problem, all of which is covered in Shakespeare’s later tragedy.

While Sera Bourgeau’s costumes are contemporary for no given reason, the strangest updating is that although this is supposed to be Venice as we are often told it is, the characters drink tea at every possible moment as though they were in England. (It would have been more Italian to have them drink wine or espresso.) There are songs between the nine scenes though the words sung by Tina P. Dinkins are usually inaudible so they add little to the story line. The uncredited set first reveals Brabantio’s dining room enclosed on four sides by blue curtains as is the audience, and then about halfway through one end rises and reveals a garden terrace which is used on and off from then on. Up until then, the dining becomes claustrophobic but this may be intentional as Desdemona reveals she feels both trapped in her life and cooped up by her role. While the lighting by Jay Ryan changes, it never feels very atmospheric. The sound design by Attilio Rigotti never establishes the off stage parties or dinners described in the printed script.

The title here has two meanings, one of which is explained to the audience and one which isn’t. Although it appears in the script but not told to the audience, nine months go by from January to September during which time Othello and Desdemona get to know each other. As one of the tales he tells her, Othello explains about the talisman (i.e. embroidered handkerchief) given to him by his mother which she received from an Egyptian prophetess and seer. She has been told that the owner had to walk under nine moons in Egypt in order for it to keep its potency before giving it to the woman he would marry. His career has not taken him to Egypt so that he has not done so. His other stories, less dramatic, usually break off as he does not want to shock or embarrass the virginal Desdemona.

As directed by Jessica Burr, the acting is very low-key although the actors are fine in their underwritten roles. As the six foot five mercenary general to the Venetian army, Robert Manning, Jr. has quiet authority. Both reticent and well-mannered for a soldier, his Othello is self-effacing and humble. However, his resonant bass voice kept low makes understanding him difficult at times so that some of his revelations are lost. Sophia Marilyn Nelson’s Desdemona is both curious and self-sufficient, in keeping with the character we meet in Shakespeare. While Brabantio and Michael Cassio don’t have much to do, the actors do the best they can with what they are given. Aaron Michael Zook’s senator is a man who feels like his stock is sinking and wishes he could do more for his daughter. Perri Yaniv as a bearded Cassio (and not blond as he is usually depicted) is mostly a secondary character though his love for Desdemona and his difficulty dealing with liquor are made abundantly clear. However, his very nerdiness makes him no threat to Othello when it comes to Desdemona.

Nine Moons is an interesting premise though it shows the dangers of trying to add to the Shakespeare canon. Keith Hamilton Cobb’s new play needs either more dramatic events or a new story aside from the Shakespearean tragedy. In its current form, it is not very convincing in its assumed purpose. One could be forgiven for feeling that nothing much happens in the course of the play. At under two hours, it does not have enough going on to warrant its length.

Nine Moons (through June 15, 2025)

Blessed Unrest Theatre Company, in partnership with The Untitled Othello Project and with support from Sacred Heart University

Theater for the New City

Cino Theater, 155 First Avenue at Tenth Street, in Manhattan

For tickets, call http://www.blessedunrest.org or http://www.untitledothello.com

Running time: two hours without an intermission