Ted Lange reimagines Shakespeare's authorship debate

"Which explains how Oakland-native Ted Lange as an actor came to portray both Isaac Washington, the upbeat, mustachioed bartender on television's The Love Boat (1977-1986) and, years later, one of Shakespeare's most tragic characters, Othello. Adding intrigue to Lange's biography is a network of unexpected facts: among them, gaming with British actress Lynn Redgrave led him to attend London's Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts; and while directing and writing for television and film, Lange has also penned over 27 original plays and become deeply immersed in Shakespearian history."

"Apropos to the current moment is one question that since 1967 has stuck like a burr in Lange's mind: Did Shakespeare actually pen Othello, or was it Edward DeVere, Christopher Marlowe or Sir Francis Bacon? Lange is convinced the play's disputed authorship is a topic ripe for today's audiences. Fittingly, the African-American Shakespeare Company in San Francisco presents Lange's Shakespeare Over My Shoulder, opening May 15. The show's three-week run has Black actors portraying three of the white historical figures-DeVere, Marlowe and Sir Francis Bacon-with Shakespeare played by a white actor."

"From decades of research, Lange knows the foursome met at the White Heart Tavern in 1593 when the bubonic plague had shuttered London's theaters. The new play is anchored in history, but also delivers a story beyond scholarly discourse. Lange's naturally buoyant imagination and enthusiasm for drama does not exclude humor. Embedded in the play's weighty factual, social, racial and authorship implications is witty entertainment."

Ted Lange, known for playing Isaac Washington on The Love Boat, later portrayed Othello and wrote and directed extensively, including more than 27 original plays. He studied drama at London’s Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts after gaming with Lynn Redgrave. Lange became immersed in Shakespearean history and focuses on a question that has stayed with him since 1967: whether Shakespeare actually wrote Othello or whether Edward DeVere, Christopher Marlowe, or Sir Francis Bacon authored it. The African-American Shakespeare Company in San Francisco presents Shakespeare Over My Shoulder, featuring Black actors portraying those white historical figures while a white actor plays Shakespeare. The story is anchored in research about the group meeting at the White Heart Tavern in 1593 during the plague, and it blends factual implications with witty entertainment.

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