Broadway’s Othello celebrated its star-studded opening night on Sunday, with the red carpet outside the Ethel Barrymore Theatre featuring a Steinway & Sons piano and a pianist performing welcome music for guests.
The Shakespeare revival, led by Denzel Washington and Jake Gyllenhaal, has already made Broadway history as the highest-grossing play, bringing in a weekly box office total of $2,818,297.
Premium seats have sold for more than $300, while some theatergoers reportedly paid as much as $1,000 for the limited engagement.
Director Kenny Leon addressed the remarkable ticket prices while speaking with DailyMail.com on the red carpet on March 23.
Leon said he had recently spoken with his niece, who planned to take the entire family to see Beyoncé. “You’re taking everybody,” he recalled telling her.
He compared the cost of seeing Othello with paying for a courtside seat at a Los Angeles Lakers game.
Director Kenny Leon spoke with DailyMail.com on the Ethel Barrymore Theatre red carpet on March 23 about Othello tickets selling for as much as $1,000
Denzel Washington, who plays the title character, approached Kenny Leon about Othello while searching for a major project for 2025
Kenny Leon said Jake Gyllenhaal agreed to play Iago after the two met for dinner
“I love LeBron James. When we go to a basketball game, you get a floor seat,” Leon explained.
He added that audiences ultimately decide what an experience is worth. One man who paid $921 for his ticket told Leon he did not want a refund and was already trying to work out how to return.
“That’s what makes me proud every night,” Leon said. “There are 1,000 people in the theater, and the audience is incredibly diverse. We have young people and people from every economic background. There are student tickets, and we hold digital lotteries every day.”
“I’m proud of the box office, and I’m proud of what’s happening on the stage.”
The Tony Award-winning director also defended his decision to cast Washington as Othello after some critics argued that the character should be portrayed as being in his 40s.
Leon said he wanted to emphasize the significant age difference between Othello and Desdemona, casting someone in her 20s opposite Washington. Desdemona is played by 27-year-old Molly Osborne.
He described the connection between Washington and Osborne as “perfect,” adding that this ensemble, among the 18 Broadway productions he has worked on, has developed an especially strong bond.
A New York Post critic, however, wrote that Washington did not deliver a fully developed or emotionally gripping Othello, while noting that the actor’s age was not necessarily a problem despite the character traditionally being portrayed as younger.
Kenny Leon told DailyMail.com that Denzel Washington and Jake Gyllenhaal were his first choices for the production, pictured together on opening night on March 23
The review argued that the age difference between Washington and Osborne made it more difficult to believe in the couple’s romance, suggesting their dynamic felt more paternal than passionate.
Leon, 69, rejected that interpretation. He said Shakespeare’s text presents Othello as being around 55 to 60, with a roughly 40-year age gap between the general and Desdemona.
“The question became, ‘Is he too old or is he too Black?’ People have confused the issue and started working from incomplete information,” Leon said.
He pointed to the play’s descriptions of Desdemona as a young woman and Othello as an older man, saying the character is written as someone in his late 50s or around 60.
Leon added that modern productions cannot realistically stage the story with a 14-year-old Desdemona, meaning the character must be aged up while preserving the central age difference.
Washington, with whom Leon has collaborated on three previous projects, and Gyllenhaal, 44, were always his preferred choices for the production.
Washington, known for The Equalizer, was the one who contacted Leon about working together on Othello.
“He said, ‘I’m free in January 2025. What do you want to do?’ We discussed three or four other plays, but we quickly settled on Othello,” Leon recalled.
Molly Osborne and Kimber Elayne Sprawl spoke with DailyMail.com about joining Othello and working alongside Denzel Washington and Jake Gyllenhaal
KEEP READING: Donations to Michigan gubernatorial candidate Abdul El-Sayed soar after Stevens backs GOP rival
Kimber Elayne Sprawl said Jake Gyllenhaal is a “good kisser,” while Molly Osborne described the relationship between Washington and Gyllenhaal’s characters as having “their own love story”
Leon had Gyllenhaal in mind for Iago, and said the actor’s casting took little more than a single phone call before Gyllenhaal suggested they meet for dinner.
Osborne, meanwhile, auditioned from London by submitting a self-taped performance for the role of Desdemona.
Several weeks later, Leon traveled to London to meet her, and she secured the part. Although she spoke with Washington over FaceTime, she did not meet him in person until rehearsals started.
Osborne described the chemistry between Washington and Gyllenhaal as “electric,” saying Othello and Iago share a complicated bond that feels like its own love story within the play.
Actress Kimber Elayne Sprawl plays Emilia, Iago’s wife.
She admitted feeling extremely nervous during her chemistry reading with Gyllenhaal, hoping they would establish the connection needed for the roles.
Sprawl teased that the production includes kissing and portrays a deep, complicated love between Iago and Emilia.
“She has a responsibility to her husband and to Jake, but she loves him so deeply that she is prepared to risk everything to uncover the truth,” Sprawl said.
Former President Joe Biden made a high-profile appearance at the Othello opening, wearing a peaked-lapel tuxedo and black bow tie, while Dr. Jill Biden wore a shimmering powder blue gown
Joe Biden and Jill Biden posed with the Othello cast during the March 23 opening-night celebration
The 33-year-old actress also offered a lighthearted review of Gyllenhaal’s onstage kissing: “He’s a good kisser. He’s sweet.”
She praised both Washington and Gyllenhaal as generous performers who bring experience, talent and wisdom into the rehearsal room. Their support, she said, allowed the younger cast members to discover their own confidence and grow as artists.
Former Real Housewives of Atlanta star Kandi Burruss and her husband, Todd Tucker, are co-producers of Othello, working alongside lead producer Brian Anthony Moreland.
Burruss had been discussing the project with Washington since the previous year, after working with his son, John David Washington, on Netflix’s The Piano Lesson.
Now producing her fourth Broadway show, Burruss told DailyMail.com that she felt she was following the path meant for her. After 14 seasons on Housewives, she said, she wanted to continue expanding her career.
Although she said she did not currently envision returning to RHOA, Burruss added that she had new goals and was focused on achieving them.
She recalled meeting Gyllenhaal for the first time at the table read and finding him friendly, relaxed and welcoming. Burruss said she had asked her producing partner whether the actor was easy to work with before meeting him herself.
“Everyone came to the table read without an ego,” she said, noting that even performers with major résumés helped create a warm and collaborative atmosphere.
Real Housewives of Atlanta alum Kandi Burruss spoke with DailyMail.com about producing Othello, saying she felt she was exactly where she was meant to be after 14 seasons on Housewives
Jennifer Lopez showcased her toned midriff in a striking two-piece look, while her 17-year-old child Emme wore a black pinstriped suit
Katie Holmes was among the red-carpet guests, wearing an off-the-shoulder black dress instead of her signature casual style
Burruss said the production updates Shakespeare’s world for a modern audience, placing the action in a contemporary setting and dressing the characters in present-day clothing.
“Everything feels relatable,” she explained. “You hear Shakespeare’s words, but the actors deliver them as naturally as everyday conversation. It becomes much easier to understand.”
The opening-night audience included Jennifer Lopez, Nicole Scherzinger, Martha Stewart, Katie Holmes, Samuel L. Jackson, Jamie Lee Curtis, Gayle King, Spike Lee and numerous other notable guests.
Former President Joe Biden also attracted attention as he arrived in a tuxedo with peaked lapels and a black bow tie. Dr. Jill Biden accompanied him in a shimmering powder blue dress.
Othello began previews on February 24, with performances and tickets currently available through June 8.
