Gossip

Lenny Henry Gives Audiences Moor at Trafalgar???

Editorial Staff
London's West End

The current touring production of Othello, which stars comedian Lenny Henry making his stage acting debut in the title role, is rumoured to be heading for a West End stage later in the year.

The tour visits the Rose Theatre Kingston this week, and, during a pre-show discussion last night, Henry confirmed that the production would be transferring to the West End for a “September to December run” (according to a Whatsonstage.com reader). He didn’t specify a venue, but according to an inside source, the likeliest destination is the Trafalgar Studios.

The production, a collaboration between Northern Broadsides and West Yorkshire Playhouse, is directed by Broadsides’ artistic director Barrie Rutter and received generally favourable reviews when it premiered at the WYP back in February, the Daily Telegraph‘s Charles Spencer dubbing Henry’s performance “one of the most astonishing debuts in Shakespeare I have ever seen”  (See Review Round-up, 19 Feb 2009).

Othello, which also features Conrad Nelson as Iago, Jessica Harris as Desdemona and Maeve Larkin as Emilia, continues at the Rose until 25 April, before visiting the New Vic, Newcastle-under-Lyme (28 April-2 May) and the Viaduct, Halifax (5-9 May).