Even though William Shakespeare never set foot in Chicago, the writer’s influence has long been palpable in the city, and the Newberry Library has the collection to prove it. In conjunction with the citywide celebration of Shakespeare’s 400th birthday, Shakespeare 400 Chicago, “Creating Shakespeare,” a new exhibit, features nearly 200 Bard-related objects, including a playbill from 1862 that credits John Wilkes Booth as the lead in Othello at Chicago’s McVicker’s Theater, a personal ad signed “Hamlet and Iago” from an 1877 newspaper, and a collection of facial hair from Chicago Shakespeare Theater’s costume department.
“Sometimes books under glass lose a lot of their charm, and it’s hard to really appreciate them,” Gage says. “What I wanted to do was give people more items to help the time period come alive in different ways.”
Through 12/31
Newberry Library 60 W. Walton 312-255-3700newberry.org Free
