GREAT expectations in the theatre can become a burden. When they are not met, audiences quickly turn sour. During Sir Nicholas Hytner’s 10 years as director of the National Theatre in London, expectations have rarely been higher than for his “Othello”, which opened on April 23rd. He directs Adrian Lester, who is black and one of the finest actors of his time, as the Moor; and Rory Kinnear, who played a distinguished Hamlet in Sir Nicholas’s 2010 production, as Iago (both pictured above). The play’s initial run was sold out before the curtain rose on the first night.
