In The Know

William Shatner to perform poems about the ‘fragility and vulnerability of our planet’

Actor William Shatner speaks
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William Shatner will perform poetry focused on the “fragility and vulnerability of our planet” at an upcoming concert.

The “Star Trek” alum — who at 90 became the oldest person to go to space when he flew on Jeff Bezos’s Blue Origin flight last year — will appear as a guest at the National Symphony Orchestra’s “Declassified: Ben Folds Presents” at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., on April 29, the performing arts institution announced Thursday.

The Kennedy Center called Shatner’s performance a “unique concert experience” that will include the actor’s “new and original spoken-word poetry with new orchestral compositions inspired by nature.”

Accompanied by the famed orchestra, Shatner will explore “the ‘thin line’ between life and death that our planet’s atmosphere is currently facing,” the Kennedy Center said.

Musician Folds will host the show and will join the orchestra and Shatner for occasional duets.

Folds and Shatner are longtime friends, who collaborated on the TV star’s 2004 album, “Has Been.”

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