See more Daily Mail on Google - save us as a Preferred SourceBy KRISTINA WEMYSS, GENERAL NEWS REPORTER Published: 16:10 BST, 1 July 2026 | Updated: 16:18 BST, 1 July 2026
It is a role that any actor would become a green ey’d monster over, played by the likes of Laurence Olivier and James Earl Jones.But the latest portrayal of Shakespeare’s Moor of Venice - reimagined as a lesbian - has caused quite a stir.Sharon D Clarke, 59, best known for her roles in Holby City and Doctor Who, has been cast as the tragic hero of Othello.And not only has the Royal Shakespeare Company included a modern take on the lead, but the production will also be set in a ‘climate-threatened future’.In the 400-year-old play, Othello, a black military leader, secretly marries the Venetian beauty Desdemona, only to be tricked by his sub-ordinate Iago into believing that she has been disloyal.Othello becomes consumed with jealousy against his innocent wife, which leads to tragic consequences.The first actor cast in the role was Richard Burbage, a member of the King’s Men theatre company, for which Shakespeare wrote many plays.It was not until 1825 that a black actor, Ira Aldridge, played the title role. His was a landmark performance that helped pave the way for generations of performers, despite calls for the production to be boycotted. Sharon D Clarke is a three-time Olivier award winner, with West End credits including We Will Rock You and Ghost The MusicalFigaro, a satirical 19th-century publication, urged readers to ‘drive [Aldridge] from the stage’ that he was ‘about to defile’.Since then, Othello has been played by actors including Paul Robeson, James Earl Jones, Laurence Fishburne and Chiwetel Ejiofor.Historically, the role was frequently played by white actors doing blackface.Laurence Olivier’s portrayal - first on stage at the National Theatre in 1964 and immortalised in the 1965 film adaptation - was one of the most heavily criticised in Shakespearean history.His affected African-Caribbean accent and heavy blackface garnered comparisons to an old-fashioned minstrel show.The upcoming production will be directed by Monique Touko, and will reimagine the story through the lens of ‘misogynoir’ - the combination of anti-black racism and misogyny.RSC artistic directors Daniel Evans and Tamara Harvey said: ‘We want to ensure that as many people as possible feel welcome at the RSC through the stories we choose to tell and the artists who tell them, re-examining 400-year-old texts through an urgent new lens.’Ms Clarke is a three-time Olivier award winner, with West End credits including We Will Rock You and Ghost The Musical.Born in London to Jamaican parents who arrived as part of the Windrush generation, she has previously criticised the lack of opportunities for black performers in British television, revealing she was repeatedly typecast as a nurse early in her career before refusing to audition for such roles.She later broke barriers by playing consultant Dr Lola Griffin in Holby City and became British television's first black female lead detective in Ellis.The RSC production will run from February 13 to April 3 next year.
