By Asmaa Bahadi
Rabat – To commemorate the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s death, David Serero, a Moroccan Jew living in the United States, will be starring as the lead in a unique, Moroccan-influenced interpretation of Othello in New York City.
Othello is one of the five plays included in the New York Center of Jewish History’s summer series. The program includes three Sephardic-themed productions regarding Jews descended from the Jews that inhabited the Iberian Peninsula in the fifteenth century, two Shakespearean classics, and a Verdi opera.
The directors have readapted Othello to present the play in a Moroccan style that includes Judeo-Arabic songs. The costumes used by the actors are inspired by Arabian styles.
Serero, who is no stranger to the Moroccan culture, is a Sephardic Jew of Moroccan descent born in Paris in 1981. He is a classically-trained actor and baritone who has performed in operas and more than 1,000 concerts around the world, in addition to starring in more than 100 films.
In America, Serero has made many appearances in musicals, operas, and plays, and performed sold-out solo concerts in Times Square. Furthermore, he recorded a duet with Jermaine Jackson and produced his own jazz album. He left his mark on the music industry by recording several albums, including a Frank Sinatra tribute album, a collection of Sephardic songs called “Sephardi,” and a a modern version of the opera Carmen complete with beatboxing.
Serero kicked off his shows Othello at eight o’clock on June 23 at a theater in the New York City Center for Jewish History.
