Red Velvet at Chesapeake Shakespeare Company

"The story is gripping," says The New York Times. Red Velvet, by Lolita Chakrabarti, takes audiences backstage to witness a history-making, 1833 rehearsal of Shakespeare's Othello. The legendary British actor Edmund Kean has collapsed, and near death, cannot perform. The theatre manager recruits a replacement: Ira Aldridge, an actor who is accomplished, audacious, and African-American. Aldridge has been earning accolades performing in the British provinces. The drama unfolds off stage and on, as Aldridge becomes the first black actor to portray Othello on a major London stage, against the backdrop of British government and citizens debating whether to abolish slavery. What will the London critics say? How will the rest of the cast react? Chesapeake Shakespeare Company presents the Maryland premiere of this award-winning play from London, hailed by critics in New York, Chicago and Philadelphia.