Love, jealousy, and power are the three words that come to mind when you think of the 420-year-old story of “Othello.” First written in 1604 by master poet and playwright William Shakespeare, the tale has been adapted over the centuries into films and Broadway productions that we as a culture have clung to because of its powerful universal messaging. Now, in the age of 2025 lead producer Brian Anthony Moreland and Tony Award-winning director, Kenny Leon have joined forces to bring a modernized version of “Othello” to theatre audiences. “We wanted to set the stage for the story being in the near future, and this is reflected in the fashion that you see as well,” says Moreland.
Former Real Housewives of Atlanta star and co-producer of “Othello,” Kandi Burruss partnered with lead producer Brian Anthony Moreland to bring new audiences into the world of an age-old tale. “This is our fourth production working together, and Kandi is wonderful to collaborate with because of her hands-on approach. For “Othello,” she used more grassroots efforts [regarding] communication and reaching a broader audience,” Moreland added.
“Othello” has broken Broadway box-office records by becoming the highest-grossing play in Broadway history, earning a staggering $2.8 million in its second week over eight performances at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre, according to The Hollywood Reporter. This is in credit to its star-studded cast and lead actors Denzel Washington and Jake Gyllenhaal. For this production, Moreland worked closely with Leon regarding casting.
Moreland had the opportunity to work with John David Washington two seasons ago on August Wilson’s “Piano Lesson.” While working on that play, he shared that he spoke to Denzel, John David’s Oscar-winning father Denzel Washington, about working on his next play. Not long after, he received a call from Denzel while he was on the set of “Gladiator II,” he called to reveal that he was on board with “Othello.” Once confirmed, Moreland reached out to Kenny to direct the production since he felt he did an excellent job working with Denzel on “A Raisin In The Sun” and “Fences.”
After casting Washington as “Othello,” who plays the protagonistic Black Moorish general that leads the Venetian army, Moreland started to think about who would play the next Iago. He expressed that there was a very small list and that Jake Gyllenhaal was at the top. “I reached out to his agent and within a few days he was on board,” Moreland shared.
Iago portrays the scheming antagonist to Othello and showcases the classic friend-turned-foe storyline. As for Desdemona, Othello’s lover, Molly Osborne is making her Broadway debut in this production, as she is a native London actress. “She sent in a self-tape of herself with little information on the production details, and after Kenny, Denzel, and I saw her audition, we were elated to see her talent and knew right then that was our Desdemona,” says Moreland. Kimber Sprawl plays Iago’s wife Emilia, the fearless lieutenant who sheds light on a scathing lie in a surprising twist of events. Leon was keen on showcasing the juxtaposition between the deep-seated envy between Iago and the Black Moor and him being married to a Black woman who would be viewed as a Moor.
In the first act, a handkerchief dangles in front of the audience which leads to foreshadowing in the second act. For the opening scene, Gyllenhaal makes his grand entrance onto the stage as Iago in a tailored blue bomber jacket and form-fitted slacks as he recites his cautionary views on Othello. Then, Molly as Desdemona strolls in with her all-white womenswear pantsuit, which signifies this feminine purity to greet and profess her love for Othello, played by Denzel. Emilia played by Kimber provides contrast in a sharp black vest with matching wide-legged pants and heels to elongate her look. While Denzel looks dashing in his more mutable palette of a blue suit jacket. It was Leon’s vision to bring us into the future with this version of “Othello,” and with the assistance of Tony Award-winning costume designer Dede Ayite who executed her vision for a modernized depiction of the historic production brilliantly.
Leon gained wind of her talent after she worked on award-winning productions like “Hell’s Kitchen” and “Jaja’s African Hair Braiding.” “For ‘Othello,’ Dede was able to work with Denzel and Jake to make sure they were well-dressed and rose to the occasion to ensure the vision was aligned between the director, producer, and designer,” Leon shared.
For the second act, the characters transform into their military ensembles and it feels like you’ve been dropped into the world of service. “Dede was brilliant when it came to the research and working closely with our military consultants Christopher Wolfe and Mark ‘Ranger’ Jones to make sure the costumes were accurate. Plus, she played well with the feminine and masculine sides of the costumes, showcasing the inward beauty of the actors,” Leon also noted.
Growing up in Ghana, she was inspired by the women around her and in graduate school at the Yale School of Drama, Ayite pursued her calling of being a costume designer–she received a masters in fine arts degree in design. Fast forward to today, Dede has worked on over 23 different Broadway production plays including “Slave Play.” She has been nominated for distinguished awards several times and last year Dede became the first Black woman to win a Tony Award for best costume design for a play for her work on “Jaja’s African Hair Braiding.” Ayite’s Off-Broadway credits include “Secret Life Of Bees,” “Fireflies,” and many other productions.
Ayite detailed the different perspective she brought to the Shakespearean play and the costuming over two conversations, one in-person, and the other over a video call. “I try to meet every play with what it needs,” she explains. “I collaborate with the actors to help bring their stories across through the costumes.” With “Othello” she began by researching and combing through magazines, Pinterest, and reading books on military garb.
She also gained insights from real-life scenarios by watching videos of military families–listening to their experiences. “This helps inform and allows me to conceptualize my sketches and the fabrics that I gravitate towards,” Ayite shared.
Collaborating with Leon was a partnership that was instrumental in making “Othello” shine. According to Ayite, it begins with dissecting the script and the dialogue within it to understand the needs of each character. She expresses that as a director Kenny creates spaces for all of the creatives on set to meet which included the set designer, Derek McLane. Each of the respective teams including lighting, sound, intimacy, and the design team all met multiple times to look through the script. The meetings allowed them to also discuss their visions for the dynamic scenes. Ayite adds that it felt safe for her as an artist to vocalize any differing views she had.
The common goal of the creative departments included: enhancing the storytelling by getting to the core of the truth, the costume designer declared. “I’m grateful that I get to tell stories through clothes,” Ayite shared. For her, these stories must be told through the lens of intentional design work, regardless of the value society puts on them. “That’s what served me and it’s the roadmap to how I got here because I saw value in the stories I started out telling,” she added.
In conversation with ESSENCE.com, costume designer Dede Ayite details the process of crafting the wardrobe for “Othello” which stars Denzel Washington, Jake Gyllenhaal, Molly Osborne, and Kimber Sprawl.
In the first act, you bring the characters to life through well-tailored men’s and women’s suiting, what were your choices behind that?
As a costume designer, I like to create and carve out the characters with slight nuances or through overt choices to highlight their distinctions and similarities. For example, in the Senate scene, I dressed the men in two and three-piece suits to highlight their function in the play, their status in the world, and the gravity of their decisions. I meticulously look at what undertones work well with each character’s skin tone and how I can make distinctions between them using different colored ties and materials.
Molly Osborne plays Desdemona, and many of her costumes have a soft aesthetic to them that helps convey her innocence. Can you talk to me about how you landed on those looks?
It was important to me to establish who Desdemona was when you first see her onstage. I wanted to showcase her love for Othello along with her innocence which is the essence of who she is. In the opening scenes, I put her in an all-white-tailored suit ensemble to provide a sense of structure and direction while displaying that this is a woman who knows herself. Yet you have the other side to her femininity which is softness, and with that aspect, I wanted to use a bustier underneath the suit to highlight her sensuality as a lady. Layering was key for me because it helps give this fullness to Desdemona as a woman in contrast to the men she plays opposite to.
Kimber Sprawl plays Emilia the wife to Iago, what was it like collaborating with her and creating her costumes?
For Kimber who plays Emilia, we have the opportunity to see her as a lieutenant but also a loyal friend to Desdemona. I’m able to capture her sense of duty to her country through her uniform but also show some of her softness through the tailoring and light structure of her garments. It was important for me to show the complexities of what it’s like to exist as a Black woman in a male-dominated world. Emilia balances this juxtaposition of not being pushy but learning how to stand firm to be respected. Through costume design, along with her brilliant acting, the audience gets to know who Emilia is at the core. Kimber wears an Alexander McQueen vest suit with a double-layered lapel which gives it this androgynous style and structure, along with her wide-legged pants that have a light, wispy flow to them.
For the costumes what can you tell me about the stores you relied on, your fabric choices, and the collaborators you worked with?
I look all over with my team and make sure to leave no stone unturned when it comes to the garments. My associate costume designer, James Nguyen, supported me with many of the pulls. We [went to] Bloomingdale’s and other stores that carry basics to create this high [and] low mix. Then after purchasing the pieces we work to manipulate the clothes through tailoring or hand-painting. I also have to keep in mind the lighting design and color treatment of the set when it comes to the color palette of the costumes.
You worked with military consultants to help create the uniforms for “Othello,” what was that creative process like?
It takes a lot of research from everyone on my team from me to my associates, to my assistants. I’m thankful to have worked with Christopher Wolfe one of our military consultants, who leaned on his personal connections and experiences to help give accurate references of people in service.
We searched high and low for the right camo-colored pants that would read well on stage. Then worked to slightly manipulate the garments for fit and the scenes at hand. As a designer, it is important to learn the rules to then change them according to the creative vision you have.
Jake Gyllenhaal plays Iago the adversary to Othello, and wears a more mutable palette for the play what were your choices behind that?
The process of discovering Iago was such a collaborative effort with Jake. When I initially sketched it out, he had on darker jeans, a T-shirt, and a leather jacket. Then we started there and explored blue jeans to identify him as this American man who has been a part of the Marines. I wanted to incorporate this casualness into his wardrobe since they have been in more peaceful times and then as we continue through the story this begins to change as he sets out for war.
Denzel Washington plays the respected Moorish general, and throughout the different acts transforms through his costumes. What were you seeking to accomplish with these changes?
Denzel Washington is a brilliant actor and at the beginning of production, we would sit down and go page by page, dissecting the story. I would look at my chart and examine the scene to ask what is he wearing here and what is the trajectory of his character. We wanted to shine a light on the humanity of Othello as a man who deals with PTSD, war, but also serves his people.
In the second act, in the last few scenes, we see Molly in a dainty, lingerie slip dress professing her innocence to Othello. What is the story behind that look and was it custom-made?
Yes! I love that look that we did, and it was a custom build that we worked on. Eric Winterling and his shop helped to customize that piece, and I worked hard to research what the perfect slip is for someone to wear who is going to meet their fate. I wanted to give Molly coverage but also express her voice. So I landed on this teal silk charmeuse fabric that has a softer color palette. Then I paired it with lace that was over-dyed to complement Desdemona’s skin tone. Plus, I wanted it to be more form-fitting with ruching on the sides to complement and enhance the confidence of actress Molly Osborne.