“The Real Housewives of Atlanta” star Kandi Burruss is celebrating the triumphant opening night of the Broadway production of “Othello,” which took place on March 23 at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre.
Denzel Washington played the titular lead character, while Jake Gyllenhaal took on the role of Iago, with Kenny Leon as the director and Brian A. Moreland as the producer.
Burruss, who co-produced the show, along with her husband Todd Tucker, told Broadway Time on opening night, “It’s been a great experience. It started back when we were doing ‘The Piano Lesson.’ That’s when Brian Moreland, my producing partner, had the opportunity to start having conversations with Denzel.”
She explained that Washington had wanted to star in a Broadway show again and expressed interest in playing Othello. “He said, ‘Make it happen,’ and boom! Here we are,” Burruss said.
Famous faces who showed up to the opening night included President Joe Biden, Jill Biden, Jamie Lee Curtis, Samuel L. Jackson, Cynthia Nixon, and Jennifer Lopez, People reported.
Also in the audience were Angela Bassett, Katie Holmes, Anna Wintour, Blair Underwood, and Martha Stewart.
During the previews, “Othello” made over $2.8 million, beating out “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child” as the highest-grossing Broadway show, per Deadline.
Burruss Reveals Why She Prefers Being a Producer
Burruss began her Broadway career as Mama Morton in “Chicago” and she went on to produce “Thoughts of a Colored Man” in 2021, “The Piano Lesson” the following year, and “The Wiz” in 2024.
“The only way that change can be made is if you get a seat at the table,” she told Time Out in February. Burruss continued, “Being talent is fun, but you’re not the decision-maker most of the time. You’re not the one running the budgets — and that’s where the power comes. So it was very important for me to get to this side of Broadway.”
The “RHOA” star continued, “At the beginning of my journey, when we did ‘Thoughts of a Colored Man,’ there was a lot of social unrest happening, and everybody really wanted change.”
“I wanted to make change by producing thought-provoking shows that normally wouldn’t get the opportunity to be seen. That’s what pushed me into this, and it’s really paid off,” Burruss said.
Burruss’ Dream is to Win a Tony Award
Burruss scored her first Tony nomination as a producer for “The Piano Lesson,” and she’s hoping for a win this time.
“I’m praying. But you know, I pray every time. Every time you have to go into it feeling like, ‘This is the one,’ you know? I’m going to speak it into existence,” she told People on March 16.
Back in 2023, when she was nominated for “The Piano Lesson,” Burruss told The Hollywood Reporter, “I’ve been telling everybody for years now that I’m going to get the EGOT.”
“But I know half the people that I said it to were like, ‘Yeah, OK, girl, whatever.’ Now it’s a real thing. I feel like all the praying, all the angels up there that have been working for me — it’s just all coming together, and it’s kind of overwhelming,” she said.
