Letter: Black actor could play Othello

Sir: David Lister asks of the role of Othello, "why is a white man singing the role permissible, but acting it beyond the pale?" The answer could lie in the fact that the composer of Otello, Giuseppe Verdi, wrote the part for a tenor voice rather than a bass or baritone. Few, if any, of today's black opera singers possess a tenor voice.

The role requires great stamina, acting ability and an outstanding tenor voice. Few who have seen Placido Domingo perform this role would doubt that he possesses these qualities in abundance. Perhaps this is why no one ever criticises him.

LINDA BENNETT

Tarporley, Cheshire