Theatre with a side of life
Steppenwolf Theatre presents the Chicago Premiere of YOU WILL GET SICK. The show starts with Amy Morton and Namir Smallwood talking on the phone to each other. A voice from offstage (Jordan Arredondo) narrates stage directions. My confusion is immediate. Is this a performance for the visually impaired? What is going on? Although I ...
Steppenwolf Theatre presents the Chicago Premiere of THE BOOK OF GRACE. Vet is about to be honored for his work as a border patrol officer. His estranged son comes to town for the ceremony after a 15-year absence. From the moment he arrives at the door, Buddy is treated like an alien in his father’s home. ...
Reviewed by Tom Lawler Set the scene: FOOL FOR LOVE, by the late, Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Sam Shepard, is typically considered one of the greatest of the nearly 60 he penned over a 50-year writing, directing and acting career. Adjacent to his celebrated “family trilogy” (which includes BURIED CHILD and TRUE WEST) and exploring similar themes ...
Steppenwolf Theatre presents NOISES OFF. Playwright Michael Frayn penned a madcap farce about theatre. A group of London actors work to put on a show. It gets intense on and offstage as their personal lives interfere with their job. It’s not just about forgetting lines. The players are threatening to walk out, to get drunk and ...
Steppenwolf Theatre presents the Chicago Premiere of POTUS: Or, Behind Every Great Dumbass are Seven Women Trying to Keep Him Alive. In this political environment, Selina Fillinger’s play is particularly timely. Her clever premise suggests although an elected buffoon is the face of the POTUS office, the brains, heart and wit running the country is an ...
Steppenwolf Theatre presents ANOTHER MARRIAGE. It’s all about the story! Two students bond over their literary interests and writing aspirations. Their mutual attraction: words… on the page or through intellectual sparring. A couple’s relationship is deconstructed from the end to the beginning to the in-between. Their love is entangled in the reality of their past, present ...
Steppenwolf Theatre presents the World Premiere of the BALD SISTERS. Two sisters clash over the funeral arrangements for their mother. It’s a likely scenario that has happened or will happen in many families. Playwright Vichet Chum uses a mother’s death to pile on the friction. The grieving sisters must confront their sibling rivalry, religious differences, and ...
Steppenwolf Theatre Company presents the Chicago premier of Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright James Ijames’ fantastical play THE MOST SPECTACULARLY LAMENTABLE TRIAL OF MIZ MARTHA WASHINGTON. Ijames knows how to tell a story! His thoroughly entertaining tale imagines a fever delirious Martha Washington being confronted by her slaves. The underlying premise is the actual provision in George Washington’s will. ...
Steppenwolf Theatre presents Yasen Peyankov’s adaptation of Anton Chekhov’s SEAGULL. Chekhov penned his dark comedy in 1895. The play focuses on a writer’s (played by Namir Smallwood) quest for love from his mother (played by Luisa Strus), his neighbor Nina (played by Caroline Neff) and his audience. At the onset of the show, Smallwood debuts his ...
Steppenwolf Theatre and Center Theatre Group presents the World Premiere of KING JAMES. Just in time for March Madness, Playwright Rajiv Joseph debuts his tribute to the Cleveland Cavaliers. Joseph tells the tale of two fans turned friends. The guys meet to purchase season tickets as LeBron James joins the Cavs. Their resulting bromance chronicles LeBron’s ...