Provider: World Shakespeare Bibliography https://www.worldshakesbib.org
Database: WSB
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TY  - JOUR
VL  - 23
IS  - 38
T2  - Multicultural Shakespeare: Translation, Appropriation, and Performance
SP  - 75-89
ID  - bbbl2552
T1  - "From Social Justice to Metaphor: The Whitening of Othello in the Russian Imagination"
AU  - Khomenko, Natalia
PY  - 2021
DA  - 2026
DO  - 10.18778/2083-8530.23.05
LA  - English
AB  - Discusses changes to performances Othello on Soviet and Russian stages from early twentieth century to present. Notes frequency of performances of Othello on early Soviet stages, ascribing play’s popularity to its “ideological utility.” Argues play’s representation of racial tension served as allegory of West’s harmful racism in contrast with “Soviet egalitarianism.” Analyzes more recent productions of Othello in Russia which portray Othello as white character and downplay theme of race. Explains reasons for shift from Soviet productions which focus on race (arguing use of blackface in performances prevented considerations of actual racial tensions in Soviet Union) to contemporary Russian productions that ignore racial themes (where Othello’s otherness is appropriated by ethnically Slavic actors and characters). English summary, online.
ER  -