Broadway’s ‘Othello’ Starring Denzel Washington Sets 4 House Records, Grosses $2.6M In Debut Week

Denzel Washington's portrayal of Othello on Broadway is driving up ticket sales ahead of its official debut.

The community of theatergoers is eager to witness Denzel Washington and Jake Gyllenhaal lead Othello on Broadway.

The new Broadway production of Shakespeare’s iconic tale of power and envy set four house records at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre last week, grossing an impressive $2,637,158 during its first seven previews, Deadline reports. Othello, led by Washington and Gyllenhaal, effortlessly claimed the top spot on the Broadway box office chart for the week ending March 2. Wicked secured second place, earning $2,368,448 during its eight-performance week.

The opportunity to see Washington and Gyllenhaal, two Hollywood heavyweights, lead Othello is driving up ticket prices. Last week, the average ticket price for the show was a hefty $361.90, which far surpassed the second-highest priced show, The Outsiders, which had an average ticket price of $155.02. The average ticket price across all 27 Broadway productions was $118.14.

Washington is getting back to his theater roots in Othello, a role he thought he was “too old” to play before being encouraged by extras on the Gladiator II set.

“I’ll tell you exactly what happened, we were doing Gladiator, and the young boy’s down on the Coliseum floor doing all the fighting,” Washington recalled while speaking with Vogue. “And all us old senators are sitting around in our gowns with our pinkies up, we’re extras basically, just talking, and someone brings up Othello. And I’m like, ‘Oh man, I wish, but I’m too old now.’ And one of the other senators says to me, ‘No, no, no, go back and read the play…’”

A closer look at the character of Othello revealed key moments, such as Iago calling Othello “an old black ram” and Othello describing himself as having “declined into the vale of years.” Washington was captivated by these elements and reached out to the play’s director, Kenny Leon, with whom he had previously collaborated on Broadway productions of Fences and A Raisin in the Sun.

The Academy Award-winning actor’s past theater roles include playing Brutus in a highly praised Broadway production of Julius Caesar 20 years ago. He also played the title character in Joel Coen’s 2021 film The Tragedy of Macbeth, which earned Washington an Academy Award nomination, and starred in 1992’s film adaptation of Much Ado About Nothing.

Washington has played Othello before: 50 years ago as a 20-year-old drama student. He follows in the footsteps of James Earl Jones, who won an Obie for his performance in Joseph Papp’s 1964 production in Central Park.

Othello on Broadway officially opens March 23 and runs through June 8.