Kirsty Oswald plays Desdemona and Mark Ebulue plays Othello. MANUEL HARLAN

Shakespeare’s Othello hits the West End, with the tragic tale featuring a 21st century twist

Shakespeare’s brutal thriller-tragedy Othello has returned to the London stage via theatre group Frantic Assembly, who aim to re-tell this timeless story of paranoia, jealousy, sex and murder – set against the backdrop of Yorkshire during the race riots of 2001. The riots were a time of terrible division and unexpected alliances, with the play telling the story of how Othello’s passionate affair with Desdemona leaves him open to jealousy and attack, with devastating consequences.

Mark Ebulue (a former kickboxer) plays Othello, while Steven Miller (best known as Lenny Lyons in BBC drama Casualty) plays Iago, with Kirsty Oswald as Desdemona.

The cast also includes Leila Crerar and Richard JamesNeale, who reprise their roles from the original 2008 production as Emilia and Roderigo. The role of Cassio is played by Ryan Fletcher, who previously performed with Frantic Assembly in Beautiful Burnout, while Montano is played by Dritan Kastrati – a graduate of Frantic Assembly’s Ignition programme set up to train young actors. Directed by Scott Graham, Othello is a coproduction with Theatre Royal Plymouth and is now showing at the Lyric Hammersmith following a successful UK tour. Due to some violent scenes, the production isn’t suitable for children.

For ticket information visit www. lyric.co.uk