Kandi Burruss‘s Broadway success continues with the iconic Shakespearean play, Othello, starring Denzel Washington and Jake Gyllenhaal.
The Real Housewives of Atlanta alum worked as a producer alongside director Kenny Leon. The team shattered Broadway records already!
From the small screen to the stage:
Kandi credited Denzel’s son, John David Washington, for luring the Oscar winner back to Broadway. She told People that the seeds were planted back in 2022 during the revival of “The Piano Lesson.” (Kandi and her husband Todd Tucker co-produced the production.)
She explained, “We would see Denzel around that time, and that’s when Brian and Denzel initiated the conversation.”
Almost five decades after playing Othello, Denzel took center stage as William Shakespeare’s tragic Moor. Jake Gyllenhaal was cast as the conniving Iago while Desdemona is portrayed by Molly Osborne.
ICYMI:
Othello began previews on February 24 and opened on March 23. Already, records were broken. Othello is officially the highest-grossing play ever in a seven-day span, with ticket prices soaring. The show ended up raking in $2.8 million in one week to outpace any prior play’s weekly earnings, with some Instagram fans noting that ticket prices were over $1,000.
Social media has lit up with praise since the previews, with many eying Kandi for a Tony to add to her Grammy-winning resume.
“We’re very thankful for the support from the fans, and believe me: Jake, Denzel, all the people in the show, they are here to bring it and you will not be disappointed.”
Kandi’s no stranger to Broadway …
The two-time Grammy winner isn’t a stranger to America’s most sacred stages. Kandi made her Broadway debut in 2018 as Matron “Mama” Morton in a limited engagement of Chicago The Musical.
She produced ‘Thoughts of a Colored Man’ in 2021 as well as 2022’s The Piano Lesson alongside Todd. Kandi applied the lessons learned from The Piano Lesson to her work on The Wiz, which she co-produced with Todd, that ran from April 17–August 18, 2024. Also, the TLC song Kandi penned, ‘No Scrubs’ is featured in the Cruel Intentions musical.
