Throwback Thursday: History as Theater

This blog is about theater but sometimes history presents us with moments that bear comment for their inherent drama.  Imagine the possible stories you could write on this moment! 
Digging up Franco
By now, you get mocked for bringing up the Faulkner quote about the past. It has become one of those things people say that end the discussion rather than open it up, like, "It is what it is." But if it's overused, it's because it's shown to be true over and over again.
It was a running joke on Saturday Night Live's Weekend Update in the 70s that, "Generalissimo Francisco Franco is still dead." At the time, news of the dictator's failing health dragged on. It was on the evening news for what seemed like a long time. The joke was that even after Franco finally died, the networks still wanted to milk the story. They couldn't let it go.
Now, the people of Spain are still living out the Franco story. His coffin has been moved from what was considered to be a place of honor to a private cemetery. This passage, in particular, shows that the past is always with us,
"A Mass was due to be officiated there this afternoon by Ramón Tejero, a Catholic priest who is the son of Antonio Tejero, the former Civil Guard lieutenant-colonel who led the failed coup against Spanish Congress on February 23, 1981."
It turns out nothing had been buried.
It's a fascinating story.
El Pais: Franco’s exhumation: Bringing an end to a symbol of the Spanish dictatorship
https://elpais.com/elpais/2019/10/24/inenglish/1571900395_914719.html 

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