More casting has been revealed for the upcoming starry Broadway revival of Shakespeare's Othello, set to star Denzel Washington and Jake Gyllenhaal as previously announced.
Newly joining them as Desdemona will be Molly Osborne, a rising star of the West End stage whose credits include playing Tzeitel in Menier Chocolate Factory's Fiddler on the Roof and Chana in Menier's Indecent. On screen, Osborne can be seen in PBS' Call the Midwife and in Amazon Prime's upcoming Anansi Boys.
Tony winner Kenny Leon is directing the Shakespeare revival, which will begin performances in spring 2025 at a Shubert theatre. Dates are to be announced. Washington will star in the title role, with Gyllenhaal playing his Iago. Brian Anthony Moreland is producing. Further casting is to be announced.
"I am so excited to welcome Molly Osborne to our Broadway cast of Othello as Desdemona," says Leon in a statement. "Her unique blend of heart and intellect, coupled with a natural vulnerability, makes her a truly captivating actress. I am thrilled to welcome her to our theatre community and eagerly anticipate collaborating with her on her Broadway debut."
The revival will be Washington's first time back on the boards since starring in a 2018 revival of The Iceman Cometh. The revival also reunites him with Leon, after working together on 2010's Fences (which won Washington a Tony Award) and 2014's A Raisin in the Sun.
Gyllenhaal made his Broadway debut in 2015's Constellations, later returning for a 2017 revival of Sunday in the Park With George and 2019's Sea Wall/A Life (also produced by Moreland), the latter of which earned him a Tony nomination.
Shakespeare is, of course, never far from Broadway, though this upcoming revival will be the first Broadway staging of the tragedy since a 1982 revival starring James Earl Jones and Christopher Plummer. The classic play follows its title character, a Moorish military commander who falls victim to a psychological campaign from adversary Iago aimed at turning him against his new wife, Desdemona.
The revival will be arguably the highest-profile production brought to the Main Stem by producer Moreland, currently represented on Broadway with The Wiz. He's previously received four Tony nominations, for The Piano Lesson, American Buffalo, The Sound Inside, and Sea Wall/A Life.
The production is being cast by ARC Casting's Duncan Stewart. 101 Productions will serve as general manager.
