A ground-breaking performance by Birmingham Opera Company of Othello was such a success it is to be immortalised on TV.
The company’s triumphant run of Verdi’s Othello comes to the end of a sell-out run this Saturday at the Argyle Works in Digbeth.
Directed by Graham Vick and conducted by Stephen Barlow, the production will be the subject of a BBC documentary next year.
The programme will focus on two of Mr Vick’s Verdi productions: the spectacular, big budget Aida in Austria which attracted audiences of 7,000 people a night, and the smaller Birmingham version of Othello.
Unlike Aida, Othello was a low key production in a former industrial plant in inner city Birmingham.
It featured a cast of 250 local people, including singers, actors and dancers, alongside the professional cast and encouraged audience participation.
The documentary will go behind the scenes of Othello, following Mr Vick, the creative team, cast and chorus as they put together a performance that has achieved consistent rave national reviews and audience accolades during its two week run.
Starring Ronald Samm as Othello, Keel Watson as Iago and Stephanie Corley as Desdemona, as well as local boy Byron Jackson as Montano in his first paid professional engagement, Othello attracted audiences of all ages and backgrounds - many of them first-time opera-goers - as it explored issues of identity, racism, jealousy, religion and wife-killing.
Birmingham Opera Company general manager, Jean Nicholson, said: “We’re delighted at the success of Othello which has been our most ambitious project to date and thrilled that it has proved to be so popular with the press and public alike.
“With all seven performances sold out even before the first night there is some consolation for those who were unable to get a ticket as they will be able to see the whole show on BBC2 in the late spring.”
