James Newcomb is boyishly innocent, yet when addressing the audience, discussing his plan for revenge, his eyes glint dark and dangerous, and his face becomes cold and hard. He often rattles the Shakespearean prose a touch too fast, but he is wonderfully cold as one of the Bard's most notable villains.

As he menaced around the stage, I often found myself thinking, "Geez! What is this guy's problem?!" Iago's perceived wrongs don't seem to match the punishment he dishes out. He's utterly cold and completely evil.

Another standout was Corliss Preston, as Emilia, Iago's wife and Desdemona's personal maid. Her discovery of her husband's evil-doings and the fact that she, too, had been manipulated, was impassioned and moving.

With striking stage presence, Jonathan Earl Peck plays Othello. His blind trust of "honest Iago" is often difficult to understand, but Peck transitions nicely from a confident nobleman to an insecure husband in a jealous rage. The diminutive stature of the beautiful Lindsey Wochley, as Desdemona, puts Othello's rage in a scarier light and makes the final scene, where he exacts revenge on his innocent wife, unsettling.

The supporting cast, including Danny Camiel, Will Zarhn, Justin Matthew Gordon and Marcella Rose Sciotto, among others, is solid in their storytelling as well.

Bill Black's costumes are another reason to take a peek at "Othello" — his use of rich fabrics and vivid colors are beautiful, and Donna Ruzika's lighting, especially having to light many nighttime scenes, was also well done.

Overall it's a fine evening of theater. But beware, you'll leave feeling a little unsure of those closest to you. Whom can you really trust? Who is only looking out for his best interest? And, can you even trust yourself?

Sensitivity rating: Minor sexual gestures, a strangulation scene that would be upsetting for young kids and stabbings which could also be scary.

· · · · ·

"TWO GENTLEMEN OF VERONA," running time: 2 hours 30 minutes (one intermission)

"The Two Gentlemen of Verona" is one of Shakespeare's earliest comedies. At the time, it was a sort of chick-flick.

It's not his funniest work, but in "The Two Gentlemen of Verona," you see the Bard tinkering with ideas and plotlines that will lead to his greater comedies.

The story wrestles with love; love between friends; love between men and women; love of fathers and daughters and forgiveness.

"Two Gents," directed by Jesse Berger, has some fine performances, including one that proves the old mantra — never act with children or animals.