"Othello" PAUL ROBESON / Jose Ferrer / Uta Hagen / Margaret Webster '44 Playbill

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This is a beautiful May 21st, 1944 playbill from the Theatre Guild revival of the WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE classic "OTHELLO" at the Sam S. Shubert Theatre in New York City. (The production opened October 19th, 1943 and ran for 296 performances before going on the road. Following the ambitious tour, the production returned to New York's City Center Theatre on May 22nd, 1945 for an additional 24 performances.) ..... "A tragedy of racial conflict" was how PAUL ROBESON (1898 – 1976) summed up "Othello" as he rehearsed the play in London. He was the first black actor to attempt "Othello" in more than a century when he stepped onto the stage of the Savoy Theatre on March 19th, 1930. The only black actor previously to have attempted it was Ira Aldridge in 1825. The son of a runaway slave, Robeson was, by 1930, an international star: a lawyer, athlete, academic, singer, actor and campaigner. In 1928 he had captured London's heart with his performance of "Ol' Man River" in the barnstorming, barrier-breaking Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein II musical "Show Boat". He jumped at the chance to tackle "Othello". He became the first African-American to play the role with a white supporting cast on Broadway when Robeson reprised his role of "Othello" at the<br>Shubert Theatre<br>in 1943 under the direction of<br>Margaret Webster<br>. He toured North America with the show until 1945, received a<br>Donaldson Award and was honored with the<br>Spingarn medal<br>by the<br>NAACP<br>for his distinguished achievements in the performing arts and his humanitarian endeavors. (Wikipedia) .....<br>The play starred PAUL ROBESON in the title role and featured JOSE FERRER, UTA HAGEN, EDITH KING, JAMES MONKS, JACK MANNING, AVERELL HARRIS, VICTOR THORLEY, PHILIP HUSTON, BRUCE FERNALD, RONALD BISHOP, GRAHAM VELSEY, BERTRAM TANSWELL, WILLIAM WOODSON, SAM BANHAM, EUGENE STUCKMANN, FRANK BRADLEY and FRANCES TANNEHILL ..... CREDITS: Book by WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE; Music composed by TOM BENNETT; Sets designed by ROBERT EDMOND JONES; Directed by MARGARET WEBSTER; Produced by THE THEATRE GUILD ..... DETAILS: The 28 page playbill measures 6 1/2" X 9" inches and includes full production credits, cast list, synopsis of scenes and bios of each of the leading actors, but no cast photos ..... CONDITION: With the exception of light edge wear, this rare playbill is in excellent condition and will make a wonderful addition to the collection of any theatre aficionado or historian. This item will be carefully packaged in a protective, carded sleeve and backed by stiff cardboard.