Shakespeare Live
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- Episode
- Shakespeare Live
- Broadcast Info
- 2016 (143 mins)
- Description
- From the stage of the Royal Shakespeare Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon, hosts David Tennant and Catherine Tate will be joined by Benedict Cumberbatch, Judi Dench, Ian McKellen, Dame Helen Mirren, Meera Syal, David Suchet, Rufus Wainwright, Tim Minchin, Gregory Porter, Joseph Fiennes, English National Opera, The Royal Ballet and Akala for a very special evening. Together they will mark the life and work of William Shakespeare on the 400th anniversary of the playwright’s death. This unique event, will take place in the presence of Their Royal Highnesses The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall and will celebrate Shakespeare’s extraordinary legacy and his enduring influence on all performance art forms - from opera to jazz, dance to musicals.
On the 400th anniversary of William Shakespeare’s death, the BBC and the Royal Shakespeare Company collaborated in an extravaganza, celebrating Shakespeare’s words and his enduring influence on all performance art forms - from Berlioz and Bernstein, to hip-hop and jazz, from ballet to Broadway to blues and back. Hosted by David Tennant and Catherine Tate, this unique event, from the stage of the Royal Shakespeare Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon, took place in the presence of Their Royal Highnesses The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall.
Gregory Doran, the Artistic Director of the Royal Shakespeare Company assembled a once-in-a-lifetime cast, including Judi Dench, Benedict Cumberbatch, Ian McKellen, Helen Mirren, Gregory Porter, Joseph Fiennes, Akala, English National Opera, The Royal Ballet, Meera Syal, Sanjeev Bhaskar, Rufus Wainwright, David Suchet, Simon Russell Beale, Roger Allam, Ian Bostridge, Antony Sher, Harriet Walter, John Lithgow, Antonio Pappano, Birmingham Royal Ballet, Rory Kinnear, Rufus Hound, Henry Goodman, The Shires, Alexandra Gilbreath, Tim Minchin, Anne-Marie Duff, Pippa Nixon, Alison Moyet, Orchestra of the Swan, the cast of Horrible Histories and Midland Youth Jazz Orchestra.
Scenes were performed from some of Shakespeare’s finest works, including A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Much Ado About Nothing, Twelfth Night, Henry V, King Lear and Macbeth. Even The Prince of Wales made a surprise appearance in a stellar line-up of Hamlets in a brilliant ‘To Be or Not To Be’ sketch.
Shakespeare Live! From the RSC also included Shakespeare inspired work spanning the musical genres accompanied by the 65 piece Orchestra of the Swan. Highlights included Rufus Wainwright’s beautiful Sonnet 29 ‘When, in disgrace with fortune and men’s eyes’, The Hip-hop Shakespeare Company’s Akala and Nitin Sawhney’s brand new composition, Henry Goodman and Rufus Hound rendition of ‘Brush Up Your Shakespeare’ and the singers from the English National Opera performed Verdi’s Falstaff. There was Othello-inspired dance from Elisha Willis and Tyrone Singleton from the Birmingham Royal Ballet; whilst The Royal Ballet’s Yasmine Naghdi and Matthew Ball performed Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet.
On film there were wonderful interpretations of Shakespeare’s songs, performed by The Shires, Alison Moyet, Gregory Porter, Ian Bostridge and Antonio Pappano. - Genre
- Arts; Literature; Writing; History
How to cite this record
The Open University, "Shakespeare Live". https://learningonscreen.ac.uk/ou/search/index.php/prog/225507 (Accessed 24 Nov 2025)