Royal53-10-1102The Overcoat

Transcrowd. The National Broadcasting Company presents Sir Lawrence Olivier, your host in Theodor Royal. This is Lawrence Olivier.

Once again I have pleasure in welcoming you to our program and to tell you something about this week's play. As I mentioned last week, I am at this time rehearsing and producing a new stage play in which I'm appearing with my wife and until we open in the western of London next month,

I'm introducing as my guests on this series some of my own good friends of the theatre. This week my invitation has, I'm glad to say, been accepted by one of our finest actors, Michael Ray'd Grey.

Michael has been appearing this year at Stratford-upon-Avon with the Shakespeare Memorial Company and some of you are listening at the visited England this coronation year, will I'm sure, join me in my admiration for his wonderful work.

In today's program I've asked him to choose for himself a subject in which he'd like to appear. He is selected a tale by Nikolai Gogol. It is called The Overcoat. Here then is Michael Redgrave in the role of Akakki Akakkievich Bashmachin. Yes, that's right.

Akakki Akakkievich Bashmachin. That's my name. Akakki Akakkievich Bashmachin. Born in St. Petersburg, marks the 29th, 1700th and 80th died in St. Petersburg, February 1st, 1830. Oh, yes, I'm afraid I'm dead. Now this story of the overcoat is the little story of my death.

For an actual fact, it was an overcoat that proved the devil, man. No, I find heaven a little milder than St. Petersburg, at least in the winter. So it was an overcoat that... Akakiyakakiri! Yes, yes, Your Honor, immediately, Your Honor, at once.