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Othello, Ethel Barrymore Theatre, New York, May 2025: American Dream, Part One: The End of a Love Affair

January 2026

Othello may well be the ideal play to stage on Broadway in 2025. At its core, it is a story of resentment and the insidious drip-feed of lies used to dismantle another person’s life. It serves as a potent metaphor for the current American political landscape, reflecting the corrosive power of disinformation and the manipulative tactics of a self-entitled administration.

Donald Trump rose to political prominence by promoting the lie that Barack Obama was not born in the United States and was therefore ineligible to be president. He continued to exploit this ‘birther’ conspiracy — along with a host of other falsehoods — to manipulate a gullible, disenfranchised, and disillusioned public, weaponising fear, ignorance, and latent racism.

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