“Othello,” starring Denzel Washington and Jake Gyllenhaal, has recouped its entire investment after nine weeks on Broadway. Capitalized for up to $9 million, the show is now the highest-grossing play revival in history.
The news comes as the modern take on Shakespeare’s tragedy was entirely shut out of the 2025 Tony Award nominations. Though “Othello” is drawing big crowds and has been this season’s most expensive ticket (with some orchestra seats selling for over $900), the production has generated mixed reviews. Variety‘s Daniel D’Addario said this version “falls flat,” adding that director Kenny Leon’s take on “Othello” seems to have “little on its mind beyond a gritted-teeth determination to carry across the text of the play.”
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“Othello,” featuring Washington as the title character and Gyllenhaal as the manipulative, scheming Iago, opened at the Barrymore Theatre on March 23 and has sold out every performance since that night. The limited engagement is scheduled to run for 15 weeks. Last month, the production broke the weekly record for top-grossing play in Broadway history and now it’s the highest-earning play revival in the world.
Without “Othello” in contention, this year’s Tony Award contenders for best play revival are another Shakespearian tragedy “Romeo + Juliet,” “Eureka Day,” Thornton Wilder’s “Our Town” and “Yellow Face.” Other major nominees were “Death Becomes Her,” a campy comedy about frenemies on a quest to stay youthful, “Maybe Happy Ending,” a tenderhearted tale about two robots in love, and “Buena Vista Social Club,” a joyous story about celebrated Cuban musicians, which each scored a leading 10 nods.
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