LETTER

l AS A schoolboy, I saw Laurence Olivier's Othello ("Lister at Large, 19 March) at the Old Vic and was moved and totally convinced by his portrayal. I was surprised to hear that Richard Eyre had been quoted as saying that he would never produce Othello at the National Theatre with a white actor. I appreciate that there is a problem nowadays and that it is politically no longer acceptable for a white actor to black up. But the point, surely, must be that if the white actor is convincing in his portrayal, it should be acceptable within the conventions of the theatre.

Jeffrey Kissoon, London EC1