Royal Shakespeare Company 1989 Stratford and London production of the Shakespeare classic tragedy directed by Trevor Nunn. A stellar cast of British talent made this a memorable production which was also filmed and shown on television. It is remembered for Ian McKellan playing Iago, with opera singer Willard White playing Othello, to Imogen Stubbs's Desdemona. The play tells the story of Othello, the Moor of Venice, who is tricked by his bitter ensign Iago into believing his wife Desdemona to be unfaithful to him. In a fit of rage Othello kills Desdemona. Chaos and tragedy take over as the story unfolds. This version of the play was set in 19th Century Cyprus and the characters wore costumes from the American Civil War era.