As it Happened: The Archive Edition - The Shakespeare Episode
Et tu, Covfefe? — 50 years of Shakespeare through the eyes of AIH
All the world's a stage, And all the men and women merely players.- As You Like It, Act II, Scene VII
In true Shakespearean fashion, As It Happens has been exploring the ever-fascinating global stage — and speaking to the men and women in it — for 50 years.
And throughout our 50-year run, we've covered many stories featuring England's most cherished bard. This episode of As it Happened: The Archive Edition revisits some of our favourite Shakespeare-themed segments.
Full-length versions of each of the interviews as they originally aired, plus archival images, are listed below.
ACT I
Et tu, Covfefe? In which a Trump-themed performance of Julius Caesar proceeds on-script, with the expected collusion — until a lady who doth protest too much awkwardly inserts herself into the action. Sad!
ACT II
A round unvarnished tale. Nearly 400 years after Shakespeare penned The Tragedy of Othello, John Kani becomes the first black actor to portray the Moorish prince, in apartheid South Africa.
ACT III
Double, double, toil and trouble. The lead actor in a performance of "That Scottish Play" scoffs at the superstitious shadow cast over the show — until a series of pre-production mishaps leaves him thinking MacBether of it.
ACT IV
Much ado about nothing on. When the council of Hackney, England threatens to outlaw striptease in pubs, one local entrepeneur aims to skirt the by-law by engaging in explicit acts of thespianism.
ACT V
Harry Reems shot to illustrious fame in films like Deep Throat and The Devil in Miss Jones — but not before boning up on the works of England's most cunning linguist.
ACT VI
The original players of the Reduced Shakespeare Company make haste attempting to break a world record for the shortest performance of Hamlet, over the phone.
Listen to the full episode audio at the top of this post.
Written and produced by Kevin Ball.