I know, I don’t quite believe it either. However, yesterday the Stage website practically insisted that everyone’s second favourite brummie comedian (after Jasper Carrott, naturally) is to play literature’s most famous black protagonist.

Apparently Lenny was inspired to plan for the role after he appeared in the film True Identities with James Earl Jones. In the flick Earl Jones is an actor playing Othello and Henry is his understudy. It wasn’t until last year though, when Henry fronted a BBC Radio Four documentary Lenny and Will, that he met the director Barrie Rutter and the bardic ball got rolling.

Yep, it’s all true. All true I tells ya. What’s more, the creative director at the theatre where this little experiment is going to be played, one Mr Ian Brown, had this to say:

“I hope this new production will appeal to people who are not regular theatregoers, and will be an Othello for the many, rather than for the few.”

“The few”???? Blimey, well I suppose it’s comforting to know that an artistic director at a major Leeds-based theatre has resigned himself to the opinion that no one really likes the world’s most popular playwright.

Now, please stop me if I’m out-of-line here, but doesn’t all this sound like the worst idea since BBC1 decided to give Davina McCall her own chat show? Come on, this is a theatrical car crash of epic proportions, surely?

I mean you go to see one of Shakespeare’s finest tragedies, stare into the very depths of human desire and green-eyed jealousy and who gapes back? That’s right, Chef. That huge, infectious grin and maniacal cackle. No no no no no no.

But then I could be wrong (I often am about these things), what do you think? Reckon the loveable brummie can pull off the Moor of Venice? Or maybe they should do an entire season of popular family presenters trying their hand at a bit of Shakespeare. You could have Chris Tarrant in Twelfth Night? Alan Titchmarsh as Hamlet? Or what about Tony Hart doing a turn in King Lear?

Actually this shaping up to be rather a good idea isn’t it?

Still, whatever Lenny’s like as Othello, I’m sure he won’t be as embarrassing as Laurence Olivier’s attempt. Yep, you read that right, Olivier, check it out if you don’t believe me…

Technorati Tags: celebrities on the stage, james earl jones, lenny henry, lenny henry to play othello, othello, shakespeare, theatre gossip

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This entry was posted on Friday, October 3rd, 2008 at 11:51 am and is filed under Theatre. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.