November 19th, 2009 by Andrew Thomson

In February 2009, Lenny Henry took to the stage as the lead in Shakepeare’s tragedy Othello, playing the troubled Moorish general in a role which has captivated audiences around the country.  In September the play came to London’s Trafalgar Studios and the plaudits of the critics and public alike have continued to roll in.

News of Barrie Rutter’s adaptation drew sharp intakes of breath when Henry was announced as the player to take the role of Othello himself.  Some viewed it as a cynical piece of marketing, a two-worlds-colliding attempt to shock and tittilate audiences used to seeing Henry lampooning around on television.  But the casting was inspired by two factors: one, Henry developed a late fascination for Shakespeare whilst completing his Open University degree in English literature at the tender age of 48, and two, get under the skin of Othello the character and you might recognise a little of Henry in there, too.

Othello the general is a north African Moor, a brooding soldier quite out of place in the geteel European society populated by his Venetian wife Desdemona and her Senator father, Brabantio.  Combine jealousy and treachery from Othello’s supposed nearest and dearest, and you can see how this play is often regarded as the pinnacle of Shakespeare’s tragic dramas, building in the themes of racism, betrayal, envy and love.  The casting of Lenny Henry has imitated art in at least one of these respects; typecast as a slightly buffoonish comedy character, he has found it difficult to gain acceptance as an actor of any serious intent.  His tough upbringing in the West Midlands in the 1970s brought racism to his front door, but drawing on these difficulties has resulted in one of the most astonishing stage debuts in recent years.

Reviews of the play have applauded the way Henry has demonstrated a complete understanding of the role of Othello, one of Shakespeare’s most challenging characters, and has brought his own degree gravitas and authenticity.  The casting as a whole is inspired; Jessica Harris plays his fragile – and comparatively tiny – wife with delicacy and vulnerability ad Conrad Nelson portrays a suitable villain in the guise of the back-stabbing Iago.  Rutter’s casting has paid off; the run continues to sell out at the Trafalgar, and Henry seems set for a new career as an actor of serious dramatic ability.

Tickets to Othello are selling out fast – but are available to compare and buy at tixdaq.com.