Rodewald and Stew Reteam for Othello at Shakespeare on the Sound

By Adam Hetrick
19 May 2010

Passing Strange co-creator Heidi Rodewald will join her longtime collaborator Stew for Shakespeare on the Sound's 2010 summer production of Othello, which will launch June 15 in Connecticut.

Tony Award winner Stew, who penned the original score for Shakespeare on the Sound's 2009 staging of Midsummer Night's Dream, was invited by artistic director Joanna Settle to lend his signature musical stylings to Shakespeare's tale of passion, power, jealousy and murder. Stew has now brought Rodewald on board to work on the music and songs for the piece.

"There's an endless amount of jokes that come to mind when thinking about Stew and I working on Othello," Rodewald said in a statement. "And so I do think I can bring my considerable knowledge of large, charismatic black men with short fuses to bear on this project. But seriously, it's exciting to be jamming with Shakespeare. I also think Stew and I bring an interesting male/female balance to the music that seems cool and right. And we both love working with Joanna, of course."

Stew's score to Midsummer resulted in a recording of songs from the production, on which he performed lead vocals.

As previously reported, Victor Williams ("King of Queens," "ER") will star in the title role, with Jesse Perez (Recent Tragic Events, Barrio Girl) as Iago. Perez appeared as Puck in Midsummer Night's Dream for Shakespeare on the Sound in 2009. Othello will feature scenic design by Andrew Lieberman, who also rendered designs for Midsummer.

Othello will play Pinkney Park in Rowayton, CT, June 15-26; and Baldwin Park in Greenwich, CT, July 2-11.

For further information, visit ShakespeareontheSound.