A saucily corseted stage manager enters down the center aisle, flourishes a handkerchief and then drops it on the floor. That's the bold beginning of Desdemona, A Play About a Handkerchief at the Baltimore Shakespeare Festival.
Between scenes, we hear the stage manager's voice calling lighting cues as three female stagehands come on stage, adding or subtracting props. Focusing this much attention on the folks behind the scenes is a little unconventional, but then, Paula Vogel's revisionist look at Shakespeare's Othello is a lot unconventional.
Desdemona, A Play About a Handkerchief runs through Jan. 28 at the Baltimore Shakespeare Festival, St. Mary's Outreach Center, 3900 Roland Ave. $15-$25. 410-366-8596 or baltimoreshakespeare.org.