Denzel Washington Champions ‘Othello’ Ticket Prices in Humble Star-Studded Broadway Revival
A tapestry of spotlights and silvered echoes unfolds as Denzel Washington steps forward to address the clamoring buzz over “Othello” ticket prices on Broadway. At the Entertainment Community Fund Gala on April 21, the 70-year‑old thespian acknowledged that while some orchestra seats soar to $900, there exists a golden spectrum of prices—“as low as $50. People don’t talk about that,” he reminded Entertainment Tonight, planting a gentle seed of perspective amid the price uproar. With a laugh that rippled through the gala’s marble hall, Washington dismissed comparisons to Beyoncé and Jay‑Z—“I haven’t quite felt like that. I can’t sing or rap”—and instead donned the mantle of humble steward of his own blessing: “God has blessed me with a great ability… I’m humbled by the reaction and the response that we’re getting.”
In this rare Broadway revival—the first in over four decades since James Earl Jones and Christopher Plummer took the stage in 1982—Washington shares the boards with Jake Gyllenhaal under Kenny Leon’s direction. The production opened March 23 and runs through June 8 for a limited 15-week engagement. Leon, speaking to the Daily Mail, likened the fervor to that for a Lakers game or Beyoncé concert, recounting a patron who gleefully paid $921 and vowed to return without a single refund demand. “I have a thousand people in there and it’s so diverse,” Leon beamed, noting that beyond the high rollers, “we’ve got audience members from all economic ranges, student tickets, digital lotteries every day.”
Washington’s Broadway renaissance is more than box‑office tallies; it’s the third act of his life’s composition. “I’m in the service business… you earn the second part of your life and you return in the third part of your life,” he stated, his voice weaving duty and devotion. This ethos informs his embrace of every seat price tier, from accessible $50 rush tickets to the highest echelons of Broadway luxury. He stands not only as Othello but as an emissary of opportunity, transforming celebrity into scaffolding for goodwill.
With Jake Gyllenhaal’s emotive Othello, Leon’s dynamic direction, and Washington’s seasoned gravitas, this 40‑year‑awaited revival promises both theatrical grandeur and a meditation on art’s worth. Whether you clutch a $50 rush pass or an opulent orchestra view, the stage is set for Shakespearean tragedy to converge with modern-day star power. And so, the final curtain hovers on a horizon of anticipation—will this production cement itself among Broadway’s hallowed legends, or will its echo fade like a distant memory? Only the footlights know.
Sources: Celebrity Storm and People Magazine, Entertainment Tonight, Daily Mail
Attribution: Creative Commons Licensed
