Othello

Othello

Othello

Lenny Henry’s famous rendition of Othello will finally be arriving on a London stage in September after wowing audiences at the West Yorkshire Playhouse. It is a role that few people thought could be fully explored by Henry, but he has finally put the doubters to rest and will silence them further when he walks the stage of Trafalgar Studios in 2009.

Henry plays the title character in the Shakespeare classic, which was written over four hundred years ago in 1603. It tells the story of Othello, who is a General currently in service in Venice. It is a tale of jealousy, betrayal and murder all wrapped into one as Othelloe promotes Michael Cassio into the position of Personal Lieutenant and causes his close friend Iago to become wrapped with envy. As murder and revenge are dished out through the course of the play, the story eventually ends with a deeply chilling final act. But the play also deals with love, as our hero the Moor also falls in love with Desdemona and himself becomes jealous during the course of the plot.

Lenny Henry steps into the roles having spent many years working as a nationally renowned comedian. He has carried out stand up all over the world, performed on a variety of sketch show and presented many television shows such as BBC’s flagship stand up programme Live At The Apollo. His other television credits include the New Face talent show (1976), The Young Ones (1984), Chef! (1993-96) and Hope & Glory (1999). As well as these career highlights, Henry is also well known for his marriage to comedienne Dawn French (French and Saunders, The Vicar of Dibley). Henry took on the role in a bid to further his acting skills, but for the stage and onscreen, complementing it with a degree in English Literature from the Open University. He is regarded, by various newspapers, as one of the top 50 comedians of all time.

The show is directed by Barrie Rutter, the Artistic Director of the Northern Broadsides Theatre Company. The rest of the cast is rounded up with David Beckford, Matt Connor, Andy Cryer, Victoria Gee, Jessica Harris, Geoff Leesley, Conrad Nelson, Chris Pearse, Simon Holland Roberts, Sara Poyzer and Richard Standing.

Othello is at the Trafalgar Studios from Friday 11th September 2009 to Saturday 12th December 2009.