Of Course White Critics Don’t Understand the Genius of Denzel Washington’s More Relatable Othello
Kenny Leon’s directorial take on this Shakespearean tragedy is a timely critique of a post-racial society — and, oh, the irony of these mediocre reviews.
On the opening weekend of the highly anticipated Broadway revival of William Shakespeare’s iconic tragedy “Othello,” I dropped $921 for a matinee floor ticket to see legends do their thing — and it was worth every damn dollar.
Oscar and Tony Award-winning legend Denzel Washington in the title role alongside Oscar and Tony Award-nominated superstar Jake Gyllenhaal was as epic as I expected. Tony Award-winning director Kenny Leon took a creative risk in bringing an over 400-year-old play back to Broadway after its last run on the Great White Way in 1982 (with the late great James Earl Jones as the star).
Several things to note before I dive into this review:
Othello is a powerful Black man.
Othello marries a younger rich white woman named Desdemona, which sparks the main controversy of the tragedy’s plot.
Othello’s backstabbing confidant, Iago, is a subservient white man who actively plots on his downfall.
When Shakespeare produced this play in 1604, he probably didn’t fully understand the optics of these racial and power dynamics colliding — but he definitely made it a point to distinguish these specific identities in the play.
As a result, it’s hard not to recognize the racial undertones throughout the play, then and now.
But if you read the majority of the bad reviews predominantly written by white theater critics, you wouldn’t be able to unpack such nuances.
The New Yorker has described the play as an “overpriced” production that “goes splat.”
New York magazine says the show is “low on ideas and lower on energy.”
“Underwhelming blockbuster,” says The Guardian, with Variety saying it “falls flat.”
After reading several of these redundant takes, many often praise Gyllenhaal’s turn as a fiery Iago as being electric, while many critique Washington’s take as Othello being underwhelming or lackluster.
But if the critics truly understood the plot of this tragedy — an eccentric Iago (read: domestic white terrorist) obsessed with disrupting the peace of Othello (read: respectable Black man) is at the root of the story (read: tale of when all hell breaks loose) — then they would understand why the performances of Washington and Gyllenhaal had to be polarizing in nature on stage. Leon nailed this in his direction, and Washington and Gyllenhaal understood the assignment. While several critics have questioned what were the clear motivations driving Gyllenhaal’s Iago to wreak havoc on Washington’s Othello — anyone Black in that theater easily got it.
Translation: Racism doesn’t necessarily have a rhyme, reason or “mystery” to it as it’s a disease within itself.
Set in “the near future,” Leon modernizes this centuries-old production as one that reimagines an interracial romance between Othello and Desdemona as a point of contention. Understanding this dynamic, Washington’s Othello, a respectable Black commander, is initially naive to believe he’s untouchable. Sure, there are clear indicators of past racial transgressions (Desdemona’s father isn’t a fan of the marriage) — but surely his personal inner circle is in favor. But lurking in the shadows, his white confidant, Iago, is privately envious of Othello’s power and is determined to ruin him. Donning a skinhead cut and passive-aggressive connivingness, Iago spends the duration of the play privately terrorizing Othello’s life — driving him into paranoia by weaponizing his marriage that leads to a very fatal ending for all involved.
In myriad ways, this timely take on Othello serves as a fable of the consequences of white fragility, Black exceptionalism and the myth of a post-racial society. Washington gives a level of relatability to Othello, as Gyllenhaal serves as an equally haunting villain. This wouldn’t have been possible without Leon’s boldness to direct something so uncomfortably believable that even Shakespeare himself wouldn’t have been able to recognize its timeliness.
The fact that several of the predominately white critics who have panned this outstanding revival can’t realize this perhaps proves the point of the production altogether.
Kinda of like the critics can't see or recognize this 'twumpism' thing we have to deal with at present? And the reasons are?? the word treason has been redefined? only to mean that word only applies to you. Uhhh? let's see reverse Treasonism? Now that's a Kettle. Hmmm? REVERSE TREASONISM??? FOLKS YOU HEARD IT HERE FIRST...!!!! Walt.
Gotta see this; will be haunting TKTS. Or grow a Money Tree, SMH!