Dudley comedian Lenny Henry to play Shakespeare's Othello

Oct 3 2008

DUDLEY-born star Lenny Henry is set to make his stage acting debut as Othello.

The comedian will star in a production of Shakespeare's famous tragedy on a national tour.

Henry, who turned 50 this year, said the role is a "new challenge" and "daunting". He was inspired to play the part after making the film True Identity in Los Angeles.

In the comedy, Henry played a black actor who wants a role in Othello but has to adopt the identity of a white man to escape the Mafia.

He said: "The sub-plot involved my character understudying (actor) James Earl Jones in the role of Othello.

"He and I discussed the role many times over the filming period and as one of America's premier black actors, I felt honoured to have the privilege of his wisdom.

"He told me that when the time was right I should jump in with both feet, work hard, keep my eyes and ears open and let the text do all the heavy lifting."

He added: "I hope to get a diverse audience, people that haven't been to the theatre before.

"I do see this as something I'm going to want to do more of. I really like theatre and my wife (Dawn French) has done a lot of theatre."