Chicago"Call Me Elizabeth," a one-woman show about the early life of Elizabeth Taylor, will be presented June 1618 by KB Productions at Venus Cabaret Theater. Kayla Boye stars in and wrote the production; Michael Weber directs.
Fresh off her 1961 Academy Awards triumph and a recent brush with death, Elizabeth Taylor is struggling with her hardest role yet: herself. Through an intimate conversation with her biographer, "Call Me Elizabeth" examines the movie star's early life, career and loves as she grapples with the culture of celebrity and her place as Hollywood's brightest star.
Boye states, "I thank the leadership team at Mercury Theater Chicago for the opportunity to bring "Call Me Elizabeth" to Chicago audiences during Pride Month. It is especially exciting to share the story of Elizabeth Taylor at this time, as the play explores the formative relationships in her life that led to her trailblazing fight against HIV/AIDS. She was an extraordinary woman who used her fame for good, and her legacy continues today."
"Call Me Elizabeth" had its first staged reading in 2019 at The Den Theatre in Chicago directed by 12-time Joseph Jefferson Award-winner Hollis Resnik. The play enjoyed a live world premiere under the direction of Erin Kraft at The Zephyr Theatre in Los Angeles as part of the 2022 Hollywood Fringe Festival, following a virtual premiere during the pandemic via Broadway On Demand, Porchlight Music Theatre, The Youngstown Playhouse, and Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Presentations of the piece have been awarded grants by the Arts Midwest Touring Fund and Illinois Arts Council.
Performances are Friday, June 16, and Saturday, June 17, at 8 p.m., and Sunday, June 18, at 2:30 p.m. General admission tickets are now on sale for $35 and may be purchased by visiting mercurytheaterchicago.com/call-me-elizabeth or by calling the Box Office at 773-360-7365.