Direct from its sold-out run in London and as part of its first American tour, Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre comes to Chicago Shakespeare Theater on Navy Pier with its celebrated production of Twelfth Night or What You Will for a limited, three-week holiday engagement, Nov. 26 through Dec. 14. Shakespeare’s Globe Artistic Director Mark Rylance as Olivia leads the all-male cast in an ‘original practices’ production of Shakespeare’s comedy, featuring recreations of Elizabethan dress, dance and musical instruments true to Shakespeare’s time. The Master of the Play (director) is Tim Carroll.
In the Elizabethan tradition, Twelfth Night presents an all-male ensemble who play all the roles. ‘We chose the known original practices that may be helpful to the modern relationship between actor and audience,’ explains Mark Rylance. ‘Hand-made clothing, live music and dance of the period, not to mention single-gender casting, have created worlds close to the worlds of the original writing.’ Described by The New York Times as ‘gleaming like a newly restored painting by an old master,’ Shakespeare’s Globe production of Twelfth Night will transport audiences to the period of the play’s first recorded performance 400 years ago.
Running concurrently with Chicago Shakespeare Theater productions, the Newberry Library, located at 60 W. Walton, presents Elizabeth I: Ruler and Legend, the largest exhibition in North America commemorating Queen Elizabeth I’s reign on the 400th anniversary of her death. In conjunction with this exhibit, Chicago Shakespeare Theater will host two audience enrichment programs that will bring scholars and artists together to discuss ‘Shakespeare: Then and Now.’ The programs include: Shakespeare Now: Shaping Shakespeare for a New Millennium Monday, Oct. 27, moderated by Jeffrey Masten (Northwestern University) and Shakespeare Then: Exploring Original Practice at Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre on Monday, Dec. 8, moderated by David Bevington (University of Chicago). Admission is free and reservations are requested through Chicago Shakespeare’s Box Office at (312) 595-5600.