Synopsis: Kean on Shakespeare

Edmund Kean was arguably the greatest-ever Shakespearean actor, and the world's first superstar. He is also credited with being the first actor to bring naturalistic acting to the modern era, breaking the hold of tragedian-style acting over the theater, as perfected by masters such as Kemble.

The status given to the first actor of the British stage meant that one was immediately in the company of gentry, all the way up to and including the Royal Family. But unlike other first actors, Kean came from the lower classes. Born of a prostitute mother and a drunken father, he was never able to shake off the shame of his humble beginnings, and in fact rebelled against the snobbery of the upper classes. He was a renowned drunkard, womanizer, and indulged in all forms of outrageous behavior. Such was his power on stage, though, he was still acknowledged as the greatest actor in the Empire. This, when he was also a short and plain-looking man, the antithesis of the tragedian actor of the age.

When his excesses became too much even for audiences long accustomed to his jaded behavior, he attempted to take refuge on tour in the US. Here he was met with such moral outrage and derision that there were mass riots and theaters were burned to the ground.

A contemporary and ally of that other controversial man-of-words, Byron, Kean seemed hell-bent on cramming a passionate lifetime into as short a time as possible. His was a short-lived flame that burnt far brighter than any other of his time.

But just as every age has its Kean-like figure, so too does the modern age. In "Kean On Shakespeare" Kean's outrageous and controversial character is mirrored in the form of Nick Lathuro, a modern American superstar who travels to England, contracted, despite howls of protest, to play this greatest of all English actors. Just as Kean was not acceptable to the gentry, yet dominated, so too Lathuro overthrows his doubters and takes his place as the leading actor of the day.