The production was directed by Margaret Webster for the Theatre Guild. She also played the role of Emilia, as seen here w/ Ferrer in this photo via Beinecke Library.
You can read more about this production of OTHELLO here, via @archive.org: archive.org/details/paul...
Theatre History Podcast
You can still see the handkerchief that Webster's holding in that previous photo at Houghton Library at @harvard.edu
The choice to cast Puerto Rican actor Jose Ferrer as Iago, on the other hand, caused surprisingly little comment, at least compared with what we might expect today. Here Ferrer shares the stage w/ Robeson - pic again via Beinecke Library.
In 1940s America, this meant that the production, in Hagen's words, "never played south of St. Louis." You can watch Hagen talk about the production here: www.pbs.org/wnet/america...
Today's #america250 post w/ @cmcanning.bsky.social is about a production of OTHELLO in 1943-4 that was a landmark in casting practices on Broadway. This pic via @yale.edu's Beinecke Library shows Uta Hagen (born #otd 1919) and Paul Robeson as Desdemona & Othello.
New episode! @pollackpelzner.bsky.social joins the show to talk about his recent biography of a little-known theatrical figure named "Lin-Manuel Miranda": theatrehistorypodcast.net/episode-114/
Robeson was the 1st Black man to play the title role on Broadway (White actors in both the U.S. and UK played the role in blackface well into the 1960s), and this OTHELLO was also notable for being the 1st significant integrated production of the play. Poster via Houghton Library @harvard.edu
Longtime listeners may remember our discussion of Ferrer and Latinx casting practices w/ @stinkylulu.bsky.social way back in Episode 11: youtu.be/4UtwSrd8qbM
Episodes › Episode 114 Episode 114 The Education of Lin-Manuel Miranda, w/ Dr. Daniel Pollack-Pelzner A conversation with Dr. Daniel Pollack-Pelzner, author of Lin-Manuel Miranda: The Education of …
