Indhu Rubasingham, the new artistic director of the Tricycle Theatre, has chosen Lolita Chakrabarti’s play about the famous African-American actor, Ira Aldridge (1807-1867) for her opening production. When the great Edmund Kean collapsed in the middle of a performance of Othello in 1833 and had to be carried off-stage, never to act again, Pierre Laporte, the manager of Theatre Royal, Covent Garden, invited the 26-year-old Aldridge to take over. Aldridge, who had come to England to get away from the racism in America, had already had a success in the regions.
The public liked his Othello. However, the governors of the theatre and most critics did not. One of the most interesting scenes is when some of the actual reviews, in all their loathsome racism, are read out. The critics thought Aldridge’s skin was “too dark for him to personate a dusky Moor.” They were outraged that a black man should paw actress Ellen Terry who was playing Desdemona. They thought he should be “driven from the stage he had dishonoured” and take a job as a footman or a street-sweeper. It would be 15 years before he would act in London again. He toured Europe and Russia and was awarded many honours by the heads of state. His Shakespearean roles included Shylock, Macbeth, Richard III, King Lear and Aaron in a version of Titus Andronicus which made Aaron the leading role.
Adrian Lester commands the stage with authority and dignity. The quarrel with Laporte (Eugene O’Hare) is one of the high spots. The most arresting image is Aldridge in old age whitening up to play Lear, a reminder that the greatest Othello of the 20th century, Laurence Olivier, would not be allowed to black-up and act the Moor today. Lester’s next stage role is Othello which he will perform at the National Theatre in April. The performance is eagerly awaited.