Suzy Eddie Izzard Talks Shakespeare N’Stuff [Forsooth] raised funds for two nights on January 16 and 17 at Navy Pier. The British performer has become an expert on William Shakespeare after playing multiple roles in his legacy of work and fans were eager to hear more at a rare audience participation event.
Chicago Shakespeare Theater artistic director Edward Hall moderated the discussions and took a casual approach by mixing in several off-the-cuff questions with attendees scattered throughout the venue.
Each night began with Hall introducing Izzard and highlighting her accomplishments, such as running 27 marathons in 27 days. The show was rescheduled because of Izzard’s recent knee injury, but it was clear she was on the mend.
Suzy shared personal stories, such as her mother passing away when she was six years old and her stance on religion. Izzard is now an atheist; she stated that “taking God out of the equation” has liberated her.
She has embraced being trans and this fact was greeted with supportive applause and snaps. Like many people, she came out later in life and is still evolving. She adopted the name Suzy in 2023, but had originally claimed it at the age of 10.
She addressed her adventures while performing in other countries, which has led to speaking French, German and Spanish to different degrees. This has paid off in reaching diverse audiences across the globe and allowed her to create fresh comedic material in other languages.
