Denzel Washington and Jake Gyllenhaal hit Broadway with a record-breaking revival of 'Othello'

Record ID: 1985130

  • Title: Denzel Washington and Jake Gyllenhaal hit Broadway with a record-breaking revival of 'Othello'
  • Date: 24th March 2025
  • Summary: NEW YORK, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES (MARCH 23, 2025) (REUTERS) ***WARNING: CONTAINS FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY*** CURTAIN CALL WITH CAST OF “OTHELLO” FEATURING DENZEL WASHINGTON AND JAKE GYLLENHAAL VARIOUS OF WASHINGTON POSING FOR PHOTOGRAPHS AT AFTER PARTY PHOTOGRAPHERS WASHINGTON POSING FOR PICTURES VARIOUS OF GYLLENHAAL POSING FOR PHOTOGRAPHS AT AFTER PARTY PHOTOGRAPHERS GYLLENHAA
  • Embargoed:
  • Keywords: Denzel Washington Jake Gyllenhaal broadway new york othello shakespeare stage theater
  • Location: NEW YORK, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES
  • City: NEW YORK, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES
  • Country: US
  • Topics: Arts/Culture/Entertainment,North America,Theatre
  • Reuters ID: LVA001110623032025RP1
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: Celebrities and a former U.S. President brought some star power to the first Broadway production of Shakespeare's timeless drama “Othello” in over four decades, featuring Denzel Washington and Jake Gyllenhaal.
    The opening night on Sunday (March 23) in New York was reportedly marked by high anticipation and record-breaking box office sales during previews.
    The revival features Washington, a Tony and Academy Award winner, as the noble Moor of Venice, 'Othello.' Washington's return to Broadway comes as he tackles the role of the commanding warrior general caught in a tragic spiral of deception and betrayal.
    Opposite him is Gyllenhaal as 'Iago,' the ambitious lieutenant whose manipulative machinations set the tragic events in motion. After being overlooked for a promotion, Iago's relentless pursuit of vengeance against Othello and his wife, Desdemona, portrayed by Molly Osborne, drives the narrative of the play.
    Osborne is thrilled to perform in front of her family.
    “My family coming tonight, which is very, very special. They've never been to New York before, so they’re here, they’ve landed and they'll see their first Broadway play today,” said the British actor.
    Director Kenny Leon said revamping the classic play and setting it in October 2028 was how he envisioned it.
    “To do a play that Shakespeare wrote 424 years ago, and to probably be one of the very few African Americans to do this in a commercial setting – to look at it through my eyes, it was important for me like, okay, this is what it looks like to me. No matter what anybody says about it, this is what it looks like to navigate in a white world.”
    The ensemble cast also includes Tony Award winner Andrew Burnap as ‘Cassio’, Anthony Michael Lopez as ‘Roderigo’, Daniel Pearce as ‘Brabantio’, and Kimber Elayne Sprawl as ‘Emilia’.
    Celebrities who attended opening night included Jennifer Lopez, Angela Bassett and former U.S. president Joe Biden.
    The 15-week run is playing at the Barrymore theater and ends on June 8th.
    (Production: Hussein Al Waalie, Alicia Powell)
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