SHAKESPEARE: Othello (Johannesburg Market Theatre, 1988) (NTSC)

WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE
OTHELLO

A Johannesburg Market Theatre Production 1988

Othello - JOHN KANI
Iago - RICHARD HAINES
Desdemona - JOANNA WEINBERG

Directed by JANET SUZMAN

Sound Format: Dolby Digital 2.0
Picture Format: 4:3
Language: GB
Menu Languages: D, F, GB, SP
Subtitle Languages: GB, D, F, SP
Region Code: 1, 2, 4, 5
Running Time: 188 min + 12 min Special Feature
DVD9 / NTSC

Cat. No:103 001

• The Othello presented here is a controversial and powerful interpretation of Shakespeare's by South African-born actress Janet Suzman. The production was a first in many respects: it marked Janet Suzman's as a director for both stage and television; and it saw the first time an African actor has been cast in the title role, opposite a white actress as Desdemona, in a major production of the play, performed in front of a multi-racial audience in South Africa.
  
  
• The production proved an enormous success from its first performance at The Market Theatre in Johannesburg - one of the few multi-racial venues in South Africa in 1987, provoking strong reactions from the audiences and wider community. It features Tony Award-winner John Kani as Othello and Joanna Weinberg as Desdemona, in a production that was fresh, raw and all the more powerful for the context in which it was performed.
  
  
• Also included is a brief contextual introduction written and presented by Janet Suzman, explaining how this production came about and the significance of Shakespeare's for South Africa at that time.

"...remarkable. A powerful production "Daily Mail
"...refreshingly clear and gripping "The Independent
"...a production that made you rethink Othello - and marvel once again at how Shakespeare can never be out of fashion "The Listener