NRR Project: Paul Robeson's 'Othello' (1943)

 

NRR Project: “Othello”

Written by William Shakespeare

Performed by Paul Robeson, Uta Hagen, Jose Ferrer et al

Released 1943

2 hrs., 7 min.

This recording commemorates the first time an African-American man played Shakespeare’s tragic protagonist Othello on Broadway. It was not an easy path to get there.

Paul Robeson (1898-1976) was an extraordinary individual. He transcended all the barriers that typically kept a Black man in American society at the time “in his place.” A Phi Beta Kappa scholar, he became a lawyer – but soon found he could find no work as one due to his color.

Undaunted, he turned to his prodigious acting and singing skills and soon became a fixture on Broadway, most notably in Eugene O’Neill’s All God’s Chillun Got Wings and The Emperor Jones. In 1928, he originated the role of Joe in Jerome Kern’s groundbreaking musical Show Boat, and debuted the classic song “Ol’ Man River” in his distinctive and penetrating bass-baritone voice.

His interests were many, and he continued his research into various topics. A self-respecting man, he spoke out eloquently and frequently about the racism he encountered in America. He also advocated for social justice and for anti-fascist and anti-capitalist causes, which brought him to the attention of the FBI, who began to track his movements. He fought for desegregation long before the days of the Civil Rights Movement.

Robeson went to England to perform onstage and in film, as he found a marked lack of racial prejudice there. He traveled across Europe, singing and speaking out. He played Othello in London’s West End in 1930, and in 1943, he was encouraged to take up the role again by director Margaret Webster. Supported by Jose Ferrer as Iago and Uta Hagen as Desdemona, he opened as the Moor of Venice on Broadway.

Up to this point, Othello had been played by white actors in blackface. The idea of an actual Black man playing a noble Black man on stage was anathema to many. To the delight of the performers, the show was a smash success, running for 296 shows – a record for Shakespearean performance on Broadway that still stands.

Listening to the recording, it is obvious how compelling and fit his performance was. His grave and resonant voice gave him a profound sense of authority – and made his jealous rages later in the play terrifying. The performance is expertly played by all involved, and retains clarity and emotional connection.

After the Broadway run, the cast went on an eight-month tour of the United States. They pointedly refused to play to any segregated audiences. All in all, this production of Othello was a triumph.

As the years went on, Robeson continued to speak out forcefully for the causes he believed in. His life was threatened. He was condemned by those in power. He was blacklisted. His passport was voided. His recordings and films were banned. Eventually, as the years passed, these oppressions faded away and America caught up with his enlightenment. Robeson, toward the end of his life, was given the honors so frequently denied him.

The National Recording Registry Project tracks one writer’s expedition through all the recordings in the National Recording Registry in chronological order. Next time: ‘Sorry, Wrong Number’ (May 25, 1943).