'Othello' Revival Breaks Broadway Record

The Othello revival starring Denzel Washington and Jake Gyllenhaal is making history on Broadway.  The production at the Barrymore Theatre is now the top-grossing play of all time on Broadway. With eight preview performances, it has already brought in $2.8 million, surpassing 2023’s Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, which brought in $2.7 million. In the play, 70-year-old Washington plays the titular role of Othello, and Gyllenhaal plays Iago. The Shakespearian plot follows Othello, a military captain who believes his wife is having an affair with Iago.

Denzel Washington Reveals This Play Took His Excitement To Another Level

Washington and Gyllenhaal stopped by CBS News Sunday Morning to speak about the play.

“It’s the most excited I’ve been this century,” Washington told the news program. “Seriously. I haven’t been this excited about anything I’ve done as I am about this.”

Love Foxy 107.1-104.3? Get more! Join the Foxy 107.1-104.3 Newsletter

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Subscribe

We care about your data. See our privacy policy.

That speaks volumes for a man who’s played Malcolm X, won an Academy Award for his portrayal of a crooked cop in Training Day and just recently had a role in Gladiator II.

It’s also not the first time Washington has played Othello. He first played the role while in college at Fordham University and compared his performance when he was 22 to his current performance.

“I know a lot less now. I thought I knew everything then!” Washington said. “I didn’t really like the part, ’cause I wasn’t wise enough to understand it. Now I understand it’s really about a bond, you know, that these characters have. He loves not wisely, but too well.”

Both stars are happy about the play’s success, with Gyllenhaal adding, “You get to a point where you’re like, ‘Oh, I’ve worked my whole career for this, for this moment.”

Also, gotta big up Kandi Burruss and her husband Todd Tucker, who co-produced the Broadway revival.

Dope. In the gallery below, you can see reactions from the play’s premiere night, which brought out big names like Colman Domingo, Nia Long, Angela Bassett, and even former President Joe Biden and former First Lady Dr. Jill Biden.

1.

2. Nia Long on her way

3. Sleepy Joe Biden didn't look so sleepy at that premiere

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.