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 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, SCOREKEEPER, and Pavlov’s Cats. And he has
recently penned a new comedy in two acts, The Decline and Fall of Us All.
Visit
Robert online!
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