OTHELLO IN HIP HOP

photo courtesy of chicagotribune.com

Yesterday I had the pleasure of attending a performance of Othello that was not in the typical format of a Shakespeare play.  Othello: The Remix was a hip hop version of the acclaimed story performed by The Q Brothers.  The cast, consisting of Jackson Doran, GQ, JQ, Postell Pringle and DJ Clayton Stamper, had the crowd laughing, crying, and dancing as they rapped the story of Othello over hip hop beats.  In this version Othello, played by Postell Pringle, is a popular rapper, his best friend Cassio is a member of his crew, Desdemona is his soul singing wife, and Rodrigo a technie nerd.  For those who aren't familiar with the tale, it is a story of love and betrayal as one of Othello's closest friends plots a vengeful scheme against him that ends in tragedy.


The play was a part of Shakespeare's Globe Theatre which reinterprets Shakespeare plays in languages from around the world.  A definite must see if you are in the London area this summer.