The Doug Hughes mounting of Shakespeare's Othello may extend past its closing date of Dec. 30 at the Public Theater. A spokesperson for the show said the issue was being discussed and the actors' schedules being examined. The show opened on Dec. 9 to generally good reviews and high praise for Liev Schreiber's Iago. Keith David plays Othello. The production began previews Nov. 20.

Rounding out the cast are Becky Ann Baker as Emilia, Kate Forbes as Desdemona, Jay Goede as Cassio and Christopher Evan Welch as Roderigo.

Hughes (An Experiment with an Air Pump, Lake Hollywood) directs the tragedy, in which the famed and valiant Moor military hero wins the beautiful Venetian Desdemona as his wife, only to have his ensign Iago sow the seeds of heedless jealousy in his mind with a few insinuating words and a stolen handkerchief. Hughes replaces the originally announced Mark Lamos.

Schreiber has become a New York stage regular and has lately been exalted as one of the American theatre's best actors. He starred as Hamlet in the Andrei Serban production at the Public almost exactly two years ago. And last season, he acted with Juliette Binoche in Harold Pinter's Betrayal at the Roundabout Theatre Company. Schreiber emerged as an alternative film mainstay in the mid 90s. Among his indy credits are "Daytrippers," "Walking and Talking" and the film "Hamlet" starring Ethan Hawke, in which he played Laertes (the movie was released around the same time he was playing the Dane on stage).

Keith David appeared in two Public Theater productions in the last season alone: David Grimm's Kit Marlowe and A Winter's Tale in Central Park. On Broadway, he starred in Seven Guitars and Jelly's Last Jam. The cast is completed by Remy Auberjonois, Paul Vincent Black, Gregory Derelian, Mark H. Dold, George Morfogen (Duke of Venice), Natacha Roi (Bianca), Jack Ryland (Barbantio), Thomas Schall (Gratiano), Thom Sesma (Montano) and Dan Snook.