Trump Gets a Bold Shakespearean Twist in New Play 'The 47th'

Bertie Carvel plays Donald Trump in The 47th, at The Old Vic theater, in London on April 6, 2022. Mike Bartlett’s play “The 47th” is an audaciously Shakespearean take on recent and future U.S. politics that is running at London's Old Vic. The title refers to the next president of the United States, who will be the 47th holder of that office, and depicts a high-stakes 2024 election battle. “Actor Bertie Carvel, who plays Trump, says he loves the “daring and the audacity” of the play, with its Shakespearean echoes. (Marc Brenner via AP)

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By Associated Press

April 20, 2022 at 2:42 PM UTC

London (AP) -- To run or not to run - that is the question troubling Donald Trump at the start of Mike Bartlett’s play “The 47th,” an audaciously Shakespearean take on recent and future U.S. politics.

The title of the play, running at London’s Old Vic Theatre, refers to the next president of the United States. The plot depicts a high-stakes 2024 election in which former Trump (the 45th), President Joe Biden (the 46th), Vice President Kamala Harris, and Trump’s daughter, Ivanka, are all key players.