Fresh off his Tony Award win for “Fun Home,” director Sam Gold is assaying a new frontier: Shakespeare — and he’s doing it with a vengeance. Next fall, his production of “Othello” will be presented at New York Theatre Workshop, the intimate but prestigious 199-seat off-Broadway venue, and will star David Oyelowo in the title role and Daniel Craig as the malicious Iago. Gold, who is one of theater’s most versatile artists, put together the package and brought it to NYTW, where he made his professional directorial debut in 2007. He told the New York Times that he chose “Othello” because of its engaging and visceral power. “Honestly, I wanted to start with a really simple, straight-shot Shakespeare, and ‘Othello’ is a single-plot show, very focused and clear,” he said. “‘I feel the most involved — I care the most about the people, and have the simplest connection on a gut level.”Given the stakes, he could not have done better in his casting than Craig and Oyelowo, both of whom have extensive stage credits. Early in his career Craig starred as Joe Pitt, the Mormon husband in the Royal National Theatre’s production of “Angels in America.” After that 1993 eye-opener, he moved on to acclaimed roles in television and films, capping that part of his career as James Bond in four installments of the famous franchise (The latest, “Spectre,” opens next month in the United States). In between wielding guns and bedding beauties, Craig has often returned to the stage, making his Broadway debut in the 2009 hit “Steady Rain” with Hugh Jackman, and following that up with a revival of Harold Pinter’s “Betrayal,” co-starring his wife Rachel Weisz.“Othello” marks Oyelowo’s Broadway debut, but he is no stranger to Shakespeare, having made history when he became the first black actor to play an English king in the title role of the Royal Shakespeare Company’s 2001 production of “Henry VI.” The color-blind casting caused some controversy, but doubts were quickly erased when he opened to glowing reviews. The 39-year-old Oyelowo, who was born in Oxford to Nigerian parents and is now based in Los Angeles, is best known in this country for his featured role in “Selma,” in which he portrayed Martin Luther King, Jr. Like Craig, he too will play James Bond — as the voice of the iconic hero in the audiobook version of “Trigger Mortis,” written by Anthony Horowitz as a commission from the Ian Fleming estate.“Othello” is quite a coup for NYTW, one of Broadway’s most important tributaries, having delivered “Rent,” “Once,” and “Peter and the Starcatcher.” It is unlikely that this production will transfer to Broadway — at least in the immediate aftermath given the actors’ busy schedules. In fact, Craig recently told writer-director Martin McDonagh that he was done with Broadway because the audiences were “over 50” and presumably over the hill. A somewhat dangerous observation given that the actor, at 47, is three years from joining that graying generation.“I think new faces and cheaper tickets are the only way to go,” he told McDonagh in DuJour magazine. However, cheaper tickets may be off the table for this “Othello.” James C. Nicola, the artistic director, has signaled his intent to fundraise off of this production — with a cast of over a dozen it won’t be cheap. So if you want to see this “Othello” here’s some advice: become a member of New York Theatre Workshop. Quick. The production will be on offer for the 2015-2016 season.
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