Othello (which opened March 23rd) starring Denzel Washington and Jake Gyllenhaal has just made Broadway history. Knocking out Harry Potter and the Cursed Child as the highest grossing Broadway plan, Othello has earned in one week $2.8 million while Harry Potter and the Cursed Child eared $2.7 million when it opened December 2023.
If you are hoping to get in on this hot ticket item, be prepared to hurt and empty out your wallet as tickets are going for at least $921 (for the nice seats). If that price is too rich for your blood, nosebleed seats are going for $276.11. Directed by Jamie Lloyd and co-produced by Kandi Burruss (Escape, Real Housewives of Atlanta) and her husband Todd Tucker, the Broadway show was packed with stars like Angela Bassett, Coleman Domingo, Anna Wintour, Martha Stewart, Jennifer Lopez, Samuel L. Jackson and even former President Joe Biden.
This is not the first time Kandi Burruss has worked with the Washingtons, she also produced Piano Lesson starring John David Washington. Burruss and Tucker definitely know how to bring the star power. In fact, director Jamie Lloyd was quoted as saying, “These actors do bring brand-new audiences to the theater, and of course, that’s what you always want.”
"It's the most excited I've been this century," Washington told CBS News Sunday Morning. "Seriously. I haven't been this excited about anything I've done as I am about this."
"You get to a point where you're like, 'Oh, I've worked my whole career for this, for this moment,'" Gyllenhaal stated.
Of course, Washington has played the title character before in his twenties, so to return to the role in his seventies is bittersweet. Othello tells the story of a military man (Othello) manipulated by a friend and colleague, his ensign, Iago (Gyllenhaal) into believing that his wife is cheating on him. The play is considered one of Shakespeare’s most famous tragedies.
You can catch Othello at the Barrymore Theater, running until June 8th.
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