Newly Expanded Version of Kayla Boye’s CALL ME ELIZABETH Comes to Chicago in May
Performances will run May 8-10.
CALL ME ELIZABETH, a one-woman show about the life of Elizabeth Taylor, will be presented May 8-10 by PrideArts at the Hoover-Leppen Theatre in Center on Halsted. The critically acclaimed production, written and performed by Kayla Boye and directed by Michael Weber, returns by popular demand in an expanded two-act version. PrideArts presented the previous one-act version in May 2025.
Through an intimate conversation at the Beverly Hills Hotel, CALL ME ELIZABETH examines Elizabeth Taylor's life, career, and loves as she grapples with the culture of celebrity and embraces her greatest role as a humanitarian.
Boye has developed this new two-act versionin collaboration with dramaturg Guy Masterson, an Olivier Award-winner and Taylor's grand-nephew (twice) by marriage to Richard Burton. Act One, set in 1961, focuses on the formative events of Taylor's life and career leading up to the filming of CLEOPATRA. Act Two, set in 1985, focuses on Taylor's relationship with Richard Burton and her subsequent reinvention and entry into the fight against AIDS.
Since premiering in the 2022 Hollywood Fringe Festival, CALL ME ELIZABETH continues to tour internationally following sold-out runs Off Broadway at 59E59 Theaters' “East to Edinburgh” Festival (2023), the Edinburgh Festival Fringe (2023), and Mexico's San Miguel Solo Theatre Festival (2024). Presentations of the piece have been awarded grants by the Arts Midwest Touring Fund and Illinois Arts Council.
Boye states, “I am thrilled to return to PrideArts with the expanded CALL ME ELIZABETH. Working with dramaturg Guy Masterson, the material has deepened in its authenticity and immediacy, allowing audiences both new and familiar to Elizabeth's story to be inspired by her life. I am excited to explore the pivotal moment when Elizabeth found her purpose as an activist, and I hope Elizabeth's story can be inspiring for anyone seeking to make a positive impact on the world.”
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