Simon Callow to star in ‘Being Shakespeare’ at Chicago Shakespeare

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Simon Callow stars in "Being Shakespeare"

Updated: February 13, 2012 9:10AM

British film and stage actor Simon Callow will return to the city this spring to star in “Being Shakespeare,” a solo show that blends excerpts from Shakespeare’s plays and poems to create a multifaceted portrait of the playwright.

Callow, a veteran of London and Broadway stages, is perhaps best known in the U.S. for his film work, which includes roles in “Four Weddings and a Funeral,” “A Room With a View” and “Amadeus.” He was last seen at Chicago Shakespeare Theater in the critically acclaimed production of “The Mystery of Charles Dickens” in 2001.

Callow also is an acclaimed author of various works including his best-selling autobiography Being an Actor and biographies of Oscar Wilde, Charles Laughton and Orson Welles. His biography of Charles Dickens is due out later this year.
Written by Jonathan Bate and directed by Tom Cairns, “Being Shakespeare” will run April 18-29 at the Broadway Playhouse, 175 E. Chestnut, as part of Chicago Shakespeare’s “World’s Stage” series. Tickets, $45-$75, are currently available only to CST subscribers. General ticket sales for the show will begin Feb. 15 at www.chicagoshakes.com.

Miriam Di Nunzio