EXCLUSIVE: Center for Jewish History Plans Three Sephardic-Themed Productions For 2016
(© Gigirobb Rue des Brasseurs)
The Center for Jewish History will present Sephardic-themed productions of Merchant of Venice, Nabucco, and Othello as part of the 2016 off-Broadway season. The trio of productions, featuring French-born actor David Serero, follows last year’s debut of Merchant of Venice, which incorporated Sephardic ladino songs incorporated into Shakespeare’s text and marked the first time the museum and its performance space presented a theatrical production.
Directed by David Serero, the cast of Merchant of Venice will feature Serero as Shylock, Justin Waldo as Antonio, Dina Desmone as Portia, Joseph Talluto as Bassanio, and Sean Dube as Morocco/Salerio/Duke. Performances will run from January 13-21, 2016.
Nabucco — Giuseppe Verdi’s renowned opera about the Babylonian Jews exile during Biblical, times — will follow with a run from April 6-17, 2016, featuring Serero in the title role of Nabucco. Shakespeare's Othello will then be performed from June 16-30, 2016 in a Jewish Moroccan tradition, bringing Shakespeare’s drama of race, deceit and murder back to its origins. Serero will star as Othello.
A classically trained actor and baritone, David Serero has performed operas and pop concerts in halls around the world, including numerous venues in New York City. In addition to producing and starring in Merchant of Venice last year at the Center for Jewish History, he has appeared off-Broadway in the musical Truffles, and performed sold-out solo concerts at the Snapple Theatre Center in Times Square.
