Goodman Theatre presents the World Premiere Production of ICEBOY! OR THE COMPLETELY UNTRUE STORY OF HOW EUGENE O’NEILL CAME TO WRITE ‘The Iceman Cometh.’
It’s 1939, NYC. Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Eugene O’Neill is in a writing slump and on a never-ending bender. Across town, Broadway star Vera Vimm extravagantly outbids museums to secure a caveman encased in a block of ice. When her frozen acquisition melts, the Iceboy cometh to life and his presence changes everything! He becomes an adopted son, playwright muse and Broadway rival.
The creative team (Erin Quinn Purcell -book, Jay Reiss- book and lyrics, Mark Hollman- lyrics and music) debut an irresistible confection of whimsy and snark over ice. The outlandish premise connecting a boozy real-life playwright first to a fictitious diva actress then to a 40,000 year old caveman is a bit mind-boggling. Although it sounds ridiculously silly, it actually works! Quinn Purcell and Reiss’ book is clever. They poke fun of everything, especially theatre. Their O’Neill (played by the magnetic Nick Offerman) continuously quizzes the audience in their knowledge of his plays. Within O’Neill’s bourbon-soaked tutorial, Reiss and Hollman’s score is zippy and cheeky with tributes to orphans, working mothers, and menopause.
Offerman and the effervescent Megan Mullally (Vera) are the reasons to see the show. They are hysterical leaning hard into their perfected actor personas. Offerman deftly delivers agitated straight man with the occasional delightful giggle. And the scene stealing Mullally dazzles with her razor sharp comedic timing and her prowess in belting out a song. In one scene, she recites the alphabet with an uncanny ability to secure every ounce of laughter. In another, she combines pitch-perfect singing with comic precision. It seems clear Offerman and Mullally were the muses of how Quinn Purcell and Reiss came to write ICEBOY.
Director Marc Bruni masterfully orchestrates this entertaining romp. The entire ensemble is terrific. In the title role, the talented Grey Henson’s (Iceboy) transformation is charming and funny. He continually delights with his non-primitive take on life. Henson and the long-suffering Sarah Stiles (Lambert) are particularly riotous in the “Marry Me” duet. Stiles romanticizes. Henson sexualizes. It’s playfully risqué! Adding to the merriment is a willfully obtuse Cedric Yarbrough (Floyd) and lowkey Frankenstein (played by the versatile Alex Goodrich) looming on the fringes.
ICEBOY is pretty damn fun! Just in time for summer and a blistering heatwave, ICEBOY is a refreshing escape from the ordinary and predictable. SIDENOTE: Although Offerman says, “people don’t come to musicals to think”, you might want to study up on O’Neill to avoid his scorn during the quizzes.
Running Time: 2 hours and 20 minutes includes an intermission
At James M. Nederlander Theatre, 24 W. Randolph
Book by Erin Quinn Purcell and Jay Reiss
Lyrics by Mark Hollmann and Jay Reiss
Music by Mark Hollman
Directed by Marc Bruni
Choreography by Joann M. Hunter
Wednesdays, Tuesdays, Fridays at 7:30 pm
Thursdays, Saturdays, Sundays at 2pm and 7:30pm
Thru August 9
For more information or tickets
Production photos by Todd Rosenberg
For more Chicago theatre information and reviews, please visit Theatre in Chicago
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