BLACK HISTORY MONTH: Denzel Washington returns to Broadway in ‘Othello’

It’s been a while, but histrion Denzel Washington — a two-time Academy Award victor and Tony Award victor — is returning to Broadway this period successful the starring relation of William Shakespeare’s “Othello” astatine the Barrymore Theatre.

The powerful formed of “Othello” includes Tony Award nominee and Academy Award nominee Jake Gyllenhaal portraying “Iago,” and the classical play of deception and betrayal is being directed by Tony Award victor Kenny Leon.

Previews statesman connected Feb. 24. Following the previews, the opening nighttime show for “Othello” volition beryllium connected March 23, and it volition play a constricted 15-week engagement done June 8.

Taking the Barrymore Theatre signifier with Washington and Gyllenhaal volition beryllium Molly Osborne arsenic Desdemona, Tony Award victor Andrew Burnap arsenic Cassio, Anthony Michael Lopez arsenic Roderigo, Daniel Pearce arsenic Brabantio, Kimber Elayne Sprawl arsenic Emilia, Neal Bledsoe arsenic the Duke of Venice, Julee Cerda arsenic Bianca, Ezra Knight arsenic Montano, Gene Gillette arsenic Gratiano, and Rob Heaps arsenic Ludovico.

Washington is nary alien to the New York stage, archetypal coming to Broadway successful 1988. That year, helium starred successful the drama “Checkmates,” written by prolific Black playwright Ron Milner and directed by New Federal Theater laminitis Woodie King Jr. The play besides starred histrion Paul Winfield. In 2005, Washington returned to Broadway arsenic Marcus Brutus successful the Shakespeare calamity “Julius Caesar.”

Denzel Washington is coming backmost to Broadway, starring successful Shakespeare’s “Othello.”
Credit: Brian Bowen Smith_Variety

Washington was backmost connected Broadway successful 2010 arsenic Troy Maxson successful the revival of award-winning playwright August Wison’s play “Fences.” And successful 2014, helium portrayed Walter Lee Younger successful the revival of Lorraine Hansberry’s acclaimed play “A Raisin successful the Sun.”

Washington’s portrayal of Othello adds him to a postulation of Black actors who person performed the theatrical role, which was traditionally portrayed by whites lone for generations.

Shakespeare’s archetypal 1603 play — titled “The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice” — did not specify the pb character’s race, though the word Moor was utilized to picture idiosyncratic dark-skinned of African, Middle Eastern oregon Spanish origin. For centuries, the relation was played by achromatic actors who darkened their tegument with constitution to play Othello.

However, a breakthrough successful the casting of the Othello relation took spot 200 years ago. In 1824, astatine 17 years of age, New York City-born Black histrion Ira Aldridge traveled to England to further the acting vocation helium started astatine the African Grove Theatre successful Manhattan. Founded by escaped West Indian histrion and playwright William Alexander Brown, the pioneering African Grove Theatre is reportedly wherever Aldridge was archetypal exposed to the works of Shakespeare.

In England, Aldridge archetypal portrayed the Moor of Venice successful 1825 astatine a tiny London theater. In 1833, helium replaced ailing salient British histrion Edmund Kean successful the Othello pb relation successful a large accumulation astatine the Covent Garden Theatre successful London’s prestigious West End theatre district. Audiences raved astir the performance, but racist backlash from paper critics caused the premature cancellation of the accumulation aft conscionable 2 days.

Later, the histrion did summation large fame successful Europe by performing different Shakespearen roles, becoming Britain’s archetypal Black theatre manager, and publically supporting the abolition of slavery successful Britain.

On Broadway, astir 100 years later, dynamic bass-baritone histrion Paul Robeson played Othello successful 1943 and 1944 — the archetypal Black idiosyncratic successful America to beryllium formed successful the racially arguable role. During its record-breaking tally for a Shakespeare play, the Shubert Theatre accumulation included Robeson and his achromatic co-star Uta Hagen engaging successful the archetypal interracial buss successful Broadway history.

In 1982 astatine the Winter Garden Theatre, it was James Earl Jones’ crook to play Othello successful a accumulation starring Christopher Plummer arsenic Iago.