Jake Gyllenhaal and his role in Fences, which he later adapted for the screen. Gyllenhaal has been in productions both on and off-Broadway, including Sunday in the Park with George and Little Shop of Horrors. The actors currently star together in Othello.
Per Deadline, Othello has now broken the record for the highest-grossing play in Broadway history. In its previews at the Barrymore Theater, the Shakespeare play managed to bring in $2,818,297. This makes it the top-performing eight-performance play in Broadway history, breaking the previous record held by Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, which made $2,718,488.
What This Means For Broadway
A Movie Tie-In Helps Stage Plays
If the two Broadway record-holders show one thing, it is that a movie tie-in does well for the stage. While Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is a separate story that is set several years after the events of Deathly Hallows, it finds its franchise origins in a book series that became a major cinematic IP. Because of this, the film was more easily able to draw both Broadway fans and Harry Potter franchise audiences that would not have otherwise seen the play. The same could be said about Othello, which features two Hollywood A-listers.
Washington plays the titular character in Othello, while Gyllenhaal plays Iago.
Othello's success could have interesting implications on the careers of both Washington and Gyllenhaal. Washington has been clear that he is not retiring but that he is going to be more selective about the projects he takes on. While he will be less likely to do stunt-filled action movies that he might have taken on in his younger years, perhaps Othello's success could compel the Oscar-winner to the stage. Likewise, Gyllenhaal could be motivated to do more on Broadway when his schedule allows.
Our Take On Othello's Broadway Record
Broadway And Hollywood Audiences Are Increasingly Overlapping
This recent record serves as further proof that the relationship between Hollywood and Broadway is getting better in of overlapping viewership. While the groups are often considered starkly separate in of interest, last year also saw the release of the movie adaptation of the Broadway show Wicked. This film was met with huge success, showing that it had an appeal both to Broadway audiences and those not typically interested in musicals. Othello is just another example of that crossover, and it will be interesting to see how Broadway-Hollywood connections like this develop.
Source: Deadline
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- Birthdate
- December 19, 1980
- Birthplace
- Los Angeles, California, USA
- Notable Projects
- Donnie Darko, Nightcrawler, Zodiac
