Esteemed arts critic Mark Lawson was spotted thumbing through the text of Othello during a performance of the glitzy new London production at the Donmar, starring Chiwetel Ejiofor, a hugely talented actor whose potential for world reknown seems limited by one factor, and one alone – few can pronounce his name, or even spell it.
Earlier versions of the Donmar Warehouse’s box office message would announce that the theatre had no tickets left for Othello, ‘starring Ewan McGregor’, Ejiofor’s co-star. What, McGregor a black man? Was this intended to be an exposé of Shakespeare’s lost minstrel play, a deceit at the heart of it all? It seems more likely that pronouncing his name proved too Herculean a task. Or possibly, that McGregor's was the more bankable name - but in a message telling you that the production was sold out, why should it matter? A call placed from News Hour to the Donmar proves that the message has since been re-recorded, diplomatically omitting the name of both men.
Still, Lawson’s fervent consultation of the text prompted the Independent to wonder whether he was even familiar with the play – were the Cliff notes concealed somewhere in those pages? Lawson defended himself ably – as one of the country’s foremost critical voices, the Front Row supremo had, of course, read Othello. He was merely comparing the play’s treatment of the text with the original. (And came up with some interesting points.)
So much for the critics, but what about the stars? When cornered at the premiere of Beowulf, star Anthony Hopkins confessed that he had never read the story. This is understandable when you consider how many plates the 69-year-old has spinning: the veteran actor, who has tired of the theatre, is now off on tour with his piano.
News Hour can only hope that the Silence Of The Lambs star is prepared for the challenges of the road, and has adequate vitamin supplements to keep him hale and hearty. One we have no such fears for is entertainment powerhouse John Barrowman, threatening to usurp the late James Brown as the ‘hardest working man in showbiz’. With a new series of his Doctor Who spin-off, Torchwood, launching early in 2008, Barrowman is currently honing his craft on the Birmingham pantomime stage, which he shares with some Daleks and a 3-D genie. But that’s not all. He has a new CD out (so add publicity for that, and Torchwood) and is embarking on a tour in April next year. All that, and hosting a new prime-time BBC1 series, The Kids Are Alright (sounds like something out of the 1970s). John, we salute you.
*(For those who simply must know, Mr Ejiofor’s name is pronounced thus: ‘Chew-eh-tell Edge-eh-for’ – or simply ‘Chewie’.)
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