[Tuesday, 8th March’16]: The opening night of The Shakespeare Theatre Company’s play Othello, which stars Pakistani-American Hollywood actor Faran Tahir in the lead, took place at the Sidney Harman Hall (Washington DC) on 29th February’16. The reviews from American theatre critics are out and Faran’s performance in particular has left an indelible impression.
The Washington Post had this to say:“On the steel floor of designer Riccardo Hernandez’s industrial, post-World War I set, Tahir performs an unsettlingly convincing rendition of Othello’s epileptic fit, shaking as if 10,000 volts are coursing through his body. It’s a wholesale collapse of Othello’s nervous system we are witnessing. The virile leader of armies, racked by suspicion, is made to feel powerfully the one sensation more devastating to him even than love: helplessness”.
![Opening Night Othello [1]](https://www.trendinginsocial.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/Opening-Night-Othello-1-640x365.jpg)
The DC Metro Theatre Arts praised Faran by saying: “Tahir showcased an incredible transformation from powerful, proper General to the crazed man consumed with jealousy due to Iago’s accusations. I felt fear as I watched him seek his revenge, and Rebholz’s costuming reflected this change. As he became increasingly obsessed with his revenge, Rebholz slowly took away the military the gear, and replaced the costume with robes of dark red, like blood. Throughout the play Othello is accused of a wild nature due to his being a Moor, and the costuming helped highlight the idea that surrendering to these emotions caused Othello to live up to those fears”.
One of William Shakespeare’s greatest works, Othello tells the story of a Moorish general in the Venetian army; his beloved wife, Desdemona; his loyal lieutenant Cassio; and his trusted but ultimately unfaithful ensign, Iago. Despite being over 400 years old, the story of the play has remained to be relatable throughout the years due to the enduring themes it touches upon such as racism, love, jealousy, betrayal, revenge and repentance.
![[L to R] Faran Tahir, Ron Daniels & Jonno Roberts at Opening Night](https://www.trendinginsocial.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/L-to-R-Faran-Tahir-Ron-Daniels-Jonno-Roberts-at-Opening-Night.jpg)
This play reunites theatre veteran director Ron Daniels and Faran Tahir for a second time. The duo previously collaborated in 1992 for a stage production of another classic by Shakespeare; A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
Following is the link to Ron and Faran speaking about their backgrounds, past interactions and their experience of working together on Othello: www.youtube.com/watch?v=Coquy2cMdK0
The trailer of the play can be watched here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=eU7LaE6aFYg
The play will be staged till 27th March’16. For those in the States wanting to see the show, tickets can be purchased from here: http://wfly.co/Bz06A
The Shakespeare Theatre Company’s Box Office Staff can be contacted at +1 202.547.1122 for any questions or help needed with ticket purchases .
Follow Faran Tahir on Facebook: www.facebook.com/OfficialFaranTahir
Follow Faran Tahir on Twitter: https://twitter.com/farantahir123
About Faran Tahir
Faran Tahir (born February 16, 1964) is a Pakistani-American film and television actor. Tahir is best known for his act as Raza, the leader of a terrorist organization, “The Ten Rings” in Iron Man (2008). In 1985, he appeared as Bolshintsov in U.C. Berkeley’s production of A Month in the Country. He graduated from the University of California, Berkeley, with a BA in Theatre before acquiring a graduate degree from the American Repertory Theater’s (A.R.T.) Institute for Advanced Theater Training at Harvard University.
He made his film debut playing Nathoo in the Disney’s 1994 live-action version of Rudyard Kipling’s The Jungle Book. He has since appeared in such films as Picture Perfect (1997), Anywhere But Here (1999) and Charlie Wilson’s War (2007). He also played the male lead in the 1999 independent film ABCD. In 2008, Tahir played the role of the villain Raza in the Marvel Comics-based Iron Man. He played Starfleet Captain Richard Robau in the 2009 film Star Trek. In 2013, Tahir played President Patel in the science-fiction film Elysium.
Tahir has guest starred on many television series, including Alias, The Practice, Family Law, The Agency, NYPD Blue, Lost, 7th Heaven, The West Wing, Walker, Texas Ranger, The D.A., 24, Monk, Justice, Cold Case, Chuck and Warehouse 13. He also co-starred with Robert Beltran and Chase Masterson in the 2005 Sci-Fi Channel original movie Manticore. He also starred in the medical drama series Grey’s Anatomy as Isaac and appeared on the CW series Supernatural as the Egyptian god Osiris in the seventh season’s episode “Defending Your Life”. He appeared a Ruslan Denisov in The Blacklist Season 2 Episode 11, as Detective Terrence Amos in How To Get Away With Murder Season 1 Episode 10 and as Dr. Alan Kobrine in Backstrom Season 1, Episode 9. He is also played Frank, Cliff Barnes’ right-hand man in the reboot of Dallas. Tahir starred in the ghost horror film Jinn.
He appeared in JAG in the episodes “Ice Queen” and “Meltdown” which served as the two pilot episodes for the series NCIS. Seven years later, Tahir appeared in the spin-off NCIS: Los Angeles.
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