How cool is this?

Lenny Henry in Othello. Yes, my first thought was "huh?" as well, and my second was "oh no!" but apparently not.

For those who don't know him Lenny Henry is a comedian, who I've always enjoyed in a Saturday evening with the parents kind of a way - funny, inoffensive, and not exactly earthshaking radical comedy (ok Tiswas in the 80s was a pretty radical children's TV show but that had more to do with the general sense of anarchy that overran it). Don't get me wrong, he's funny. He's very funny.

I just didn't ever expect to see that review. What a sheer joy. How incredible to see someone break out of a stereotype and to use Shakespeare to do it. I would really love to see the production. I love Othello, usually for the sheer evil that is Iago, who never really provides a satisfactory reason for his actions in poisoning Othello towards his wife and instigating her murder, nothing more than a general "because I can."

I do love Shakespeare. On so many levels.