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Black Star – Another British curtain call for Ira Aldridge

Portrait of the son of a slave who took European theatre by storm

David Pownall on his latest play, Black Star, just opened in Bolton, UK. He wrote it for actor Joseph Marcell, who introduced him to its real-life central character, the 19th-century African American actor Ira Aldridge. The son of a slave, Aldridge was acclaimed for his great Shakespearean roles in Britain and Europe. Reviews of the films The Killing Floor, about race and labour relations in 1919 Chicago, and Stand by Me, based on a novella by Stephen King. Russia's most popular artist, Ilya Glazunov, attracts millions to his exhibitions of paintings depicting a mythical, mystical past. Presenter: Mark Steyn.

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29 minutes

³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ World Service Archive

This programme was restored as part of the World Service archive project