Blair Underwood and More Star in The Old Globe's OTHELLO, Beginning Tonight

The Old Globe presents Shakespeare's classic tragedy Othello, directed by Old Globe Artistic Director Barry Edelstein and the first show of the Globe's 2014 Summer Shakespeare Festival. Joining Blair Underwood in the title role are Richard Thomas as Iago, and Kristen Connolly as Desdemona are Broadway and Globe veterans Noah Bean (Michael Cassio; Yellow Face, "Damages"), Jonny Orsini (Roderigo; The Nance), Mark Pinter (The Duke of Venice; the Globe's Hamlet and Charley's Aunt), Angela Reed (Emilia; Rock 'n' Roll, the Globe's August: Osage County), and Mike Sears (Brabantio, Gratiano; La Jolla Playhouse's Sideways and His Girl Friday).

Joining them are Old Globe/USD M.F.A. Program actors Erin Elizabeth Adams (Bianca), Meaghan Boeing (Ensemble), Lindsay Brill (Ensemble),Charlotte Bydwell (Ensemble), Lowell Byers (Ensemble), Jamal Douglas (Othello's Aide-de-Camp), Adam Gerber (Ensemble), Kushtrim Hoxha(Montano), Stephen Hu (Ensemble), Tyler Kent (Ensemble), Robbie Simpson (Ensemble), Megan M. Storti (Ensemble), and Patrick Zeller (Lodovico).

The creative team includes Wilson Chin (Scenic Design), Katherine Roth (Costume Design), Stephen Strawbridge (Lighting Design), Acme Sound Partners with Jason Crystal (Sound Design), Curtis Moore (Original Music), Ryan Nestor (Music Director), Jacob Grigolia-Rosenbaum (Fight Director),Ursula Meyer (Voice and Text Coach), Tara Rubin Casting (Casting), and Leila Knox (Stage Manager).

Two-time Golden Globe Award nominee Underwood most recently made his acclaimed Broadway debut in the iconic role of Stanley in Tennessee Williams'sA Streetcar Named Desire and garnered rave reviews opposite Cicely Tyson in Lifetime's The Trip to Bountiful Also making their Globe debuts are Emmy Award winner Thomas ("The Americans," "The Waltons") and Connolly ("House of Cards," The Cabin in the Woods). No stranger to the Bard, Underwood starred in Measure for Measure for the 1993 summer season at the New York Shakespeare Festival (aka Shakespeare in the Park). Thomas and Connolly continue collaborations with Edelstein that began in New York: Thomas starred in Edelstein's critically acclaimed production of Timon of Athens at The Public Theater in 2011, and Connolly in three Shakespeare plays that Edelstein helped produce at The Public. All three actors are making their Old Globe debuts.

From New York's Shakespeare in the Park to Balboa Park, Artistic Director Barry Edelstein makes his outdoor directorial debut in The Old Globe's Lowell Davies Festival Theatre with one of Shakespeare's greatest tragedies. Despite the prejudices in Venice, the brilliant general Othello excels both on the battlefield and in the halls of state. But when he marries Desdemona, his envious lieutenant Iago sets in motion a diabolical plan to destroy him. Edelstein gives us a riveting, intense, and intimate production where poetry soars and swords clash, where true love and wrenching jealousy collide.

Performances run today, June 22 - July 27, with Opening Night on Saturday, June 28 at 8:00 p.m. Subscription tickets to the Globe's 2014 Summer Season range from $92 to $332. Single tickets start at $29. Tickets can be purchased online at www.TheOldGlobe.org, by phone at (619) 23-GLOBE or by visiting the Box Office at 1363 Old Globe Way in Balboa Park.

"The gifted actors who have assembled for Othello this summer make the case for the Globe's preeminence among American Shakespeare theatres," said Edelstein. "This talented company, led by Blair Underwood, Richard Thomas, and Kristen Connolly, grace our stage with their skills and imagination, and it's my honor both to direct them and also to welcome them to San Diego."

Photo by Jim Cox

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