June 01, 2004

Othello. In 1833, Ira Aldridge became the first black actor to play Othello on the London stage.

Ira Aldridge had initially enjoyed great acclaim, until a campaign by Pro-Slavery groups to destroy his career led to him being boycotted by the London theatres. This review in The Times from 1833 was typical: His accent is unpleasantly, and we would say, vulgarly foreign; his manner, generally, drawling and unimpressive; and when, by chance (for chance it is, and not judgment), he rises to a higher strain, we perceive in the transition the elevation of rant, not the fiery dignity of soul-felt passion. In 1930, Paul Robeson became the second.

posted by dng 19 years ago
  • As soon as I saw "Othello," I thought, "Cool! Online game!" Yeah, I got culture. sigh.
  • Great post, very interesting!
  • Enjoyed Robeson's singing so much as a kid I managed to break a couple of his old recordings, alas. Monkey unfamiliar with his deep and resonant voice may catch him as Joe in the 1936 film Showboat. Hattie McDonald (of later famer in Gone With the Wind played Joe's wife.
  • Fantastic bit of theatre history. Thanks for this link!
  • Did anyone see Patrick Stewart play Othello at the Shakespeare Theatre in DC back in '98? He was the only Caucasian-- every other cast member was African-American (or I suppose African-Venetian). The reviews were respectful but somewhat bewildered. (I'd have loved to see it but was working in another show in Philly at the time...)