Shakespeare's hometown welcomes world

William Shakespeare's hometown is bracing for a surge in visitors from around the world this month as it marks 400 years since the death of the foremost playwright in the English language.

A parade to Shakespeare's grave and fireworks will round off a day of theater, dancing, music and parades in the picture-postcard streets of Stratford-upon-Avon. And some of Britain's finest actors are returning to the town's Royal Shakespeare Theatre to perform his most celebrated scenes, in a special show on the April 23 anniversary.

Oscar-winners Judi Dench and Helen Mirren lead a cast including Ian McKellen, Benedict Cumberbatch, Antony Sher, Joseph Fiennes and David Suchet for the "Shakespeare Live!" performance.

Prince Charles, the heir to the throne, will attend the show, broadcast live on British television and in European cinemas.

"It's going to be a total jamboree, a real festival feeling," said Geraldine Collinge, the Royal Shakespeare Company's director of events and exhibitions. "It is a logistical challenge as well as a great artistic one." 

Stratford, a town of 27,000 residents in central England, welcomes nearly 5 million visitors every year seeking out the places where the Bard was born, lived, wrote and died.

"You're in the crucible of Shakespeare," said Cyril Nri, who plays busy-body Polonius in the RSC's current production of "Hamlet" in its 1,000-seat home theater. "To come right to the place where he was born is just perfect to perform at," he said.

"As an actor, it's the zenith." 

The 54-year-old stage and television veteran said Shakespeare remained relevant because his works speak directly to everlasting human emotions. "Shakespeare doesn't worry about time; he's eternal. It could be...