The first offering of the Folger Shakespeare Theatre’s 2011-2012 season is Shakespeare’s “Othello,” a fiery production of Shakespeare’s tale of vanity, jealousy, manipulation, revenge and regret. Directed by Robert Richmond, this “Othello” is set in Venice and Cyprus during the Crusades of the thirteenth century. Its leading character, Othello (Owiso Odera), a general in the Venetian army, is a devout Christian, fighting with Venice against the Turks.

Shakespeare’s original play gets off to a rocket-propelled start, with Othello’s third-in-command, Iago (Ian Merrill Peakes), expressing his anger at Othello in the first scene of Act I, as he explains to the Venetian gentleman Roderigo (Louis Butelli), why he so resents Othello: Iago was passed over for promotion to rank of lieutenant in favor of another, Cassio (Thomas Keegan).