‘Othello’ Review — David Harewood’s Intense General Meets His Match in Toby Jones
Theatre Royal Haymarket hosts Tom Morris’s striking revival of Shakespeare’s tragedy Othello, running until 17 January 2026. This production revisits the timeless play through a bold, modern lens.
Nearly thirty years have passed since David Harewood first made history as the National Theatre’s first Black actor to portray Othello. Now, he returns to the role of the Moorish general, whose trust is fatally corroded by the deceitful Iago.
“Balling and screaming,” Harewood once described his 1997 portrayal, channelling the raw fury of a young man overwhelmed by jealousy and betrayal.
In Tom Morris’s refined West End staging, Harewood initially embodies a seasoned soldier shaped by life’s trials and tempered by wisdom. Yet as Iago’s manipulations unfold, that composure unravels into something darker — an emotionally volatile man consumed by doubt and rage.
Toby Jones, playing Iago, delivers a magnetic performance, his cunning and duplicity serving as a perfect counterbalance to Harewood’s unraveling intensity. Together, they forge a psychological duel that drives the production’s tension and tragedy.
Author’s Summary
Harewood and Jones ignite Tom Morris’s Othello with psychological depth and gripping intensity, revealing how trust and manipulation can destroy even the strongest minds.