David Harewood was the first Black actor to play Othello at the National Theatre in London almost 30 years ago. He reprises the role for the West End now and, after a glossy career mostly on screen in the interim, is one of the most arresting stage actors around. Harewood’s Othello holds your attention with his physical presence and imperial quality, the sniffs, smirks and tics in the lead up to his murderously wounded rage. He is so captivating to the other characters that they are frozen as he tells of meeting Desdemona at the start. He woos them, and us.
Harewood is not the only Black actor on stage, which reflects Venice’s historical cultural mix, and there is not the sense of racial isolation. However, the racist language is still jarring, all the more so perhaps because Tom Morris’s production is modern-dress.
