JAC Publishing & Promotions Description Page

The Last Othello by Robert Joseph Ahola

ISBN #1-60513-030-3
#2008-0027

The Cast

PAUL ROBESON: An historical figure of remarkable stature, Paul Robeson, as he is played here, should be a person of color, about six foot three inches tall, athletic, compellingly magnetic, and yet with a carriage that is starting to show some signs of both wear and frailty. For decades he has led the fight not only for people of color but also for downtrodden workers, and though he is still both a driving force and a lightning rod for activism wherever he goes, his demeanor—by custom of clever manipulation of the moment—is always one that forces others to respect his position as being on the side of Right.
UTA HAGEN: By now, this great lady of the stage is in her mid forties and is starting to gray. There is a presence about her that is perceptibly melodramatic to the point of carrying traces of arrogance. And yet there is also a timeworn grace that only women of a certain age—those who have done much— seem to have about them.
MARY URE: A famous but all-too-brief a flame. Young wife of playwright John Osborn and the new Desdemona, she is pretty and deferential, but clearly outmatched by her co-star and her predecessor. She is also under the drag of her own demons (alcoholism) which may or may not show through in this piece.

Synopsis

Paul Robeson and Uta Hagen who once headlined the longest running Shakespeare ever on Broadway, and who spent a large portion of their careers on "The HUAC Blacklist," meet 20 years later, just before Robeson's last performance of Othello at Stratford-on-Avon. A poignant portrait of the most powerful influence for political change in the history of Black America, The Last Othello gives a shattering insight into Paul Robeson in his later years - a Promethean actor, singer and activist who ultimately became a casualty to his own courage and unwillingness to bend.

The Setting

This play has two scenes in one setting, (Scene 2 is an Epilogue): Paul Robeson’s Dressing Room at Stratford on Avon. It is replete with a large lighted set of mirrors and comfortable, if inexpensive, theatre furniture, including a chaise lounge.

Properly set at angles toward the audience the mirrors can and should play an extraordinary fourth character in the play, and should be able to reflect the characters’ every aspect whenever they speak. This is a creative conundrum of course to lighting and set. But, as any good production should challenge both the design and the director, it will enhance the dramatic power of the presentation five fold.

Author Biography
Robert Joseph Ahola

Robert Joseph Ahola is an author, playwright, producer and director who lives in Malibu, California. As CEO of Galahad Films, he has written and produced over 300 films, commercials and documentaries for television, satellite, and private distribution. He has scripted ten screenplays, including GODWIN, WORLD CLASS/The Jerry Quarry Story (in development), Billingsgate, An Accident of Birth and One Hour of Madness and Joy, based on Walt Whitman’s The Leaves of Grass, (currently in post-production). An environmentalist and animal rights activist, Mr. Ahola is an author/co-author of thirteen published books including The Silent Healer (now in its fifth edition), Delusion is Good, I, Dragon and The Return of the Hummingbird Wizard. Robert has also authored a number of published or produced plays, including Dr. Max Love, The Year of the Tiger, HIGH TEA/With His Excellency, Judas Agonistes, The Last Othello, The Ghost and Josh Gibson, A Meerkat Christmas, The Decline and Fall of Us All, SCOREKEEPER, and Pavlov’s Cats.

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The Last Othello