Harman Hall Archives - Whisk + Quill

A Riveting and Relevant Reimagining of Othello Starring Wendell Pierce and Directed by Simon Godwin at STC’s Harman Hall

Othello

Shakespeare Theatre Company

Jordan Wright

June 16, 2026

Ben Turner (Iago) and Wendell Pierce (Othello) in Othello at Shakespeare Theatre Company (Photo/Teresa Castracane).

Iago to Othello, “O, beware, my lord, of jealousy; It is the green-eyed monster which doth mock the meat it feeds on.”

A modern reimagining of Shakespeare’s Othello by Director Simon Godwin puts us smack dab in contemporary bro culture with camo-clad soldiers hell bent on waging war and throwing shade on women. We watch helpless as Iago, the duplicitous deceiver and his bosom buddy Rodrigo, cook up an intricate plot to bring down their general Othello, the Moor and former slave. Unbeknownst to the hapless Rodrigo, the lieutenant Cassio and his paramour Bianca, they are all being set up by Iago. In fact, no one is spared in Iago’s quest to discredit Othello as he uses both the women and the men in his murderous quest.

Leaning into today’s incel zeitgeist, Iago conscripts these chest-thumping cluster of jarheads to do his bidding as he manipulates Othello with outright lies and flattery convincing the general that his beloved wife Desdemona is cheating on him. A purloined ladies’ handkerchief is all it takes to consummate Iago’s power grab – setting up Othello’s jealous rage and murder of his beloved, and truly chaste bride.

The length and breadth of who, what and how Iago subverts to undermine his superior is incontestably Machiavellian. Plots and subplots undermine friendships and question marital devotion until we are left to wonder why the hell Iago’s wife Emilia won’t spill the beans about her husband Iago’s nefarious plot and tell Desdemona the truth before the horrific slaughter of the two women.

The cast of Othello (Photo/Teresa Castracane).

Wendell Pierce was made to play this role. His character portrayals in edgy dramas have proven undeniably riveting – Death of a Salesman, Treme, The Wire, Clybourne Park and so many more power roles in film, TV and onstage. His performance here is the glue that cements the entire cast.

Heavy metal music ushers in many of the scenes and the soundscape of armies at war creates the modern military ethos. Paired with Godwin’s crisp staging, it contributes to the overall effect, and I couldn’t help but reflect on aspects of our current state of political drama – its subterfuge, hegemony and flouting of established law to achieve power and control. Oh, Iago, how clearly we see you and your victims in our daily news feed.

Godwin loves to paint scenes with ghastly amounts of gore and, if you’re a fan of crime drama whose fascination by the American public is just as popular today as it was to the audiences of classic playwrights, you won’t want to miss a beat in this reimagining of the classic tale.

Relevant and riveting.

Olivia Cygan (Desdemona) and Wendell Pierce (Othello) (Photo/Teresa Castracane).

Starring Wendell Pierce as Othello with Ben Turner as Iago; Olivia Cygan as Desdemona; Lucas Iverson as, Cassio; Daniel Velez as Roderigo; Giovanna Drummond as Bianca; Melanie Field as Emilia; Todd Scofield as Duke of Venice; Derek Garza as Montano/Senator Romano; Joey Collins as Brabantio/Salarino.

Ensemble: Jon Beal, C. J. Craig, Sofia Hernandez Morales, Claire Hilton, Anna Marzullo, Vish Shukla, Cole Sitilides, James Whelan and Em Whitworth.

Scenic & Co-Costume Design by Susan Hilferty with Co-Costume Designer Sarita P. Fellows; Lighting Design by Amith A. Chandrashaker; Sound Design by Christopher Shutt; Composer Shiloh Coke; Fight Choreographer Robb Hunter; Fight Captain Jon Beal; and Dramaturg Drew Lichtenberg.

Through June 28^th at Harman Hall, 610 F Street, NW, Washington, DC 20004. For tickets and information call the box office at 202.547.1122 or visit www.ShakespeareTheatre.org.

Guys and Dolls Throws the Dice and Comes Up Big at the Shakespeare Theatre Company

Guys and Dolls

Shakespeare Theatre Company

Jordan Wright

December 15, 2025

Special to The Zebra

The cast of Guys and Dollsat Shakespeare Theatre Company. (Photo/Teresa Castracane Photography)

This beloved, oft performed, hilarious musical is from Broadway royalty, Frank Loesser, who composed and wrote the lyrics 75 years ago. The original production premiered on Broadway in 1950 winning the Tony for “Best Musical”. Inspired by the stories of Prohibition era author; hard news and sports reporter; and erstwhile backroom sociologist, Damon Runyon, who spun colorful tales of the grittier side of Broadway, Loesser takes Runyon’s world to craft a remarkable musical of the place and times when mobsters, gamblers, handicappers and hustlers in zoot suits ruled the mean streets and hoochie-coochie joints and where the Salvation Army worked to convert them at the Save-A-Soul Mission on Times Square.

Loesser’s memorable characters are the spark to two hilarious love stories – that between high-roller Sky Masterson and Salvation Army missionary Sarah Brown; and gambler Nathan Detroit and ditzy-clever chorus girl, Miss Adelaide. Don’t look for 21^st century women’s rights advances nor politically correct relationships here. This is an updated throwback to the way things were in the male-dominated 1950’s.

Jacob Dickey (Sky Masterson) and Julie Benko (Sister Sarah Brown). (Photo/Teresa Castracane Photography)

Led by Nathan Detroit we soon meet the goofball gamblers – Nicely-Nicely Johnson, Benny Southstreet and Rusty Charlie – between them they run the “oldest established, permanently floating, crap game in New York” as they call it, and where Runyon’s vivid street slang defines the characters’ story. Challenged to find a new venue to hold the dice game, Detroit hears that Sky Masterson is in town and wants in. But the Biltmore Garage wants a thousand clams to host it, and Nathan doesn’t have the dough. He bets Sky the thou if he can correctly guess how many pastries Mindy’s restaurant has sold. Naturally, Nathan has the inside scoop. When that bet doesn’t play out, he bets him he can’t get a date to a casino in Havana, Cuba with the straitlaced Sarah. And now, all bets are on and Sky, the cunning Casanova must woo Sister Sarah. When the crap game finally commences, Big Julie has convinced Harry the Horse, a tough guy from Chicago, to join in. Big Julie is packing a pistol and keeps the game going until he can win his ‘clams’ back.

As expected, high jinks and hilarity ensue played out among the crafty characters while the adorable Miss Adelaide and her spangly ‘Hot Box Girls’ perform on a tracer-lit stage that rises up to showcase the chorines flouncing and flirty for the racy number “A Bushel and a Peck” followed by Miss Adelaide’s memorable number, “Adelaide’s Lament”, more familiarly remembered as “a person can develop a cold”.

Graciela Rey (Ensemble), Aria Christina Evans (Ensemble), Hayley Podschun (Miss Adelaide), Jessie Peltier, and Jimena Flores Sanchez (Mimi/Martha/Ensemble). (Photo/Teresa Castracane Photography)

There are so many crazy side stories and hilarious street slang, girls are “tomatoes” and guys are “mugs” and “no-goodniks”, plus the most iconic songs in this wonderful musical, that you will come to love these colorful characters. Sky’s song, “Luck Be a Lady Tonight” showcases Jacob Dickey’s phenomenal voice along with Joshua Bergasse’s brilliant choreography. Another standout is Kyle Taylor Parker’s fantastic rendition of “Sit Down You’re Rockin’ the Boat” which drove the audience wild with hoots and applause. Backed by a 12-piece orchestra, twenty numbers fill out this wonderfully wacky musical hit.

Set Designer Walt Spangler cleverly presents the scene in a Salvation Army thrift store chock-a-block with racks of used clothing, kitchenware and kitschy collectibles where the storefront windows allow for a continuous view of the orchestra – especially the conductor, dressed in Salvation Army military uniform. Snappy and snazzy 1930’s period costumes by Constance Hoffman set the tone for where in this story, the guys get the dolls and everyone lives happily ever after as the ladies sing “Marry the Man Today”, a paean to changing the guy after the ring is firmly in place. Old school.

In her directorial debut at STC, Francesca Zambello, current artistic director at the Kennedy Center for the Washington National Opera, has called in all her markers to showcase some of the best vocalists and performers in musical theatre.

The cast of Guys and Dolls. (Photo/Teresa Castracane Photography)

With Julie Benko as Sister Sarah Brown; Rob Collett as Nathan Detroit; Jacob Dickey as Sky Masterson; Hayley Podschun as Miss Adelaide; Kyle Taylor Parker as Nicely-Nicely Johnson; Calvin McCullough as Benny Southstreet/Ensemble; Ahmad Kamal as Big Julie/Ensemble; Tommy Gedrich as Rusty Charlie/Ensemble; Lawrence Redmond as Arvide Abernathy/Ensemble; Lamont Brown as Joey Biltmore/Ensemble; Garrett Marks as Harry the Horse/Ensemble; Holly Twyford as General Matilda B. Cartwright/Ensemble; Katherine Riddle as Agatha/Ensemble; Jimena Flores Sanchez as Mimi/Martha/Ensemble; John Sygar as Calvin/Ensemble, Todd Scofield as Lt. Branigan/Ensemble.

Additional Ensemble: Nick Alvino, Brendan Chan, Aria Christina Evans, David Paul Kidder, Chivas Merchant-Buckman, Jessie Peltier, Graciela Rey.

Book by Jo Swerling and Abe Burrows; Music Director and Conductor, James Lowe; Lighting Design by Amith A. Chandrashaker; Sound Design by Andrew Harper; Dramaturg, Drew Lichtenberg; Wig & Hair Design by Kevin S. Foster; Fight Choreography by Robb Hunter; Voice & Dialect Coach, Lisa Beley; Intimacy Coordinator, Bess Kaye.

Lady Luck shines on this superb production! Highly recommended!!!

Now playing through January 8^th, 2026 at Harman Hall, 610 F Street, NW, Washington, DC 20004. For tickets and information call the box office at 202.547.1122 or visit www.ShakespeareTheatre.org.