The work of director Tom Morris has been little seen in London since he co-directed War Horse and then went off to run the Bristol Old Vic, but now he’s back with a bang, as this production marks the start of a five year partnership with Chris Harper Productions to direct Shakespeare plays for the West End. This revival of Shakespeare’s great tragedy of race and jealousy won’t get a fraction of the attention that the 2025 Denzel Washington and Jake Gyllenhaal production received, but there’s every hope it’ll be the better Othello.
Of course you need names for West End Shakespeare, and Morris’s cast is headed by Black British star David Harewood. This is his second time doing it: as a young man he was famously the first Black actor to play the role at the National Theatre, in 1997, and he’s indicated he’s looking forward to returning to the part without all the cultural baggage and weight of expectations.
He’ll be joined by Toby Jones as Iago, while Desdemona will be played by US actor Caitlin FitzGerald, probably best known here for her role as Kendall’s troubled girlfriend Tabitha in Succession, and there will be music by indie legend and enthusiastic theatre score writer PJ Harvey.













