Speaking for Everyman: Ian McKellen Celebrates Shakespeare’s Birthday

While revered by critics and professors of English, Shakespeare today is often overlooked by readers because he is perceived to be difficult to understand and out-of-step with current events. This is a shame because he has much to say to people of any age. In this birthday celebration program, Ian McKellen looks into various aspects of Shakespeare’s career and gives life and power to the program, providing a birthday celebration that makes Shakespeare seem alive and vibrant. The result of the work of McKellen and producer Mark Ward is a cornucopia of performance segments, music, tales about the great writer and his time, and interviews with interesting and interested persons such as Harvard scholar Professor Marjorie Garber and rock star Sting. For taking listeners into Shakespeare’s world as well as into his works, a Peabody to WBUR-FM for Speaking for Everyman: Ian McKellen Celebrates Shakespeare’s Birthday.